


Check Out Any Time You Like

by Nellblazer



Category: American Horror Story, American Horror Story: Hotel, The Avengers (Marvel Movies), The Avengers (Marvel) - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Angst and Tragedy, Character Death, F/F, F/M, Ghosts, Horror, Hotels, Inspired By American Horror Story, Multi, Murder, Psychological Horror, Rape/Non-con Elements, Seduction, Sex, Trans Female Character, Trans Loki (Marvel), Vampires, Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-13
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:27:14
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 7
Words: 36,291
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25246858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nellblazer/pseuds/Nellblazer
Summary: As a travel journalist, you investigate the Hotel Cortez, hoping to find the story of the residents...but the residents don't ever want you to check out again.*Please do not replicate my work anywhere without my express permission*
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader, Loki (Marvel)/Reader, Natasha Romanov/Reader, Sam Wilson/Reader, Steve Rogers/Reader, Tony Stark/Reader
Comments: 120
Kudos: 276





	1. Welcome to the Hotel Cortez

**Author's Note:**

> Oh hey! It's a new fic.
> 
> Warnings: Swearing, dark intent
> 
> (Possible proof reading errors)
> 
> Happy reading!  
> -NB xx

The Hotel Cortez was one of those buildings I was sure used to be something grander, something that held more presence but it was a poor pastiche of a bygone time now. Even the sign was woefully run down.

Surely this couldn't be the hidden gem people insisted it was? I wouldn't get much of a story out of this place from the look of the outside.

When I ventured inside though....

I stopped in the foyer with an audible gasp. My eyes could barely take in the perfectly preserved art deco furnishings. I could've stepped back in time had I not spotted the telephone at the reception desk.

I step forward on the geometric carpet, marvelling at the dripping angular chandeliers and the ornate balustrades leading up to the second level where the bar area sat. Even the elevator has beautiful bronze trellising on it.

“Hey, uh, you lost?” a harangued looking man with a faded sweater has just appeared at the desk. “Or you checking in?”

“I'm looking at the architecture but I wanted to enquire about staying next week if you have any space?” I walk over.

The man, Bruce from his name tag, pulls a gigantic book from underneath the counter where it thuds onto the wood and makes the lamps rattle. He starts poring through the pages where I see barely any bookings but he still makes a great display of searching.

“We have space next week. How long would you like to stay with us?” he finally says.

His body language is a little standoffish but I don't let it rattle me. Maybe he wasn't used to many customers.

“A week if that's alright?”

“Sure. Would you like a map of the local sites? There are some tourist spots nearby,” he says almost in a bored manner like he's said these words many times.

“No. I want to explore the hotel. I'm a journalist, you see. I'm trying to get a list of the oldest hotels in the area in a sort of old vs new story. I think it's a shame modern convenience is taking over.”

“That's nice, honey. That'll be $455,” Bruce ignores my attempt at conversation. “Would you like to stay in different rooms every night if you want the full hotel experience?”

“Yes please.”

He processes the company card and my name is written down in the book.

“We'll see you next week then.”

“Is the bar open?” I look up. “Just before I go back to work.”

“Ah one of those, huh?” he looks up over his glasses. “Ring the bell on the bar and Loki will come serve you.”

As I leave for the staircase, I thought I heard Bruce behind me say, “Fucking alcoholics everywhere. It's not even 12pm yet.”

When I turned around though, he was nowhere to be seen. I brushed it off as a trick of hearing before ascending to the next floor. The bar was just as opulent as the rest of the foyer with a giant window of opaque glass that shone through an art deco lattice. The counter itself was made of dark wood panelling that still looked brand new.

I sat down on one of the velvet stools and press on a bell where a loud ding echoes in the empty silence. For a good minute I don't think anyone is going to come but just as my back is turned to look down into the lobby area where I take a picture, I hear a soft voice behind me.

“Hello my darling, you look like you're in need of a drink.”

The voice is masculine but the appearance is distinctly feminine. Soft high cheeks, brilliant green eyes and dark hair that falls in artful vintage waves along with the tightest pencil dress I've ever seen, girdled in around the waist.

“Uh yeah,” I blink, trying not to seem rude that I was staring.

“All my functionalities are still intact, to answer your silent question,” Loki the bartender smirks. “But I prefer to be addressed as 'she'. Now, you strike me as a cocktail woman, am I correct?”

“Yes,” my eyes snap back to hers.

More than anything I'm in awe of her fashion sense. It's beautiful. I wish I could carry something off like that but here I was in my faded jeans and lace up top with the shoulder cut outs. Distinctly underdressed for this place.

“If you tell me you want a Pornstar Martini, I might have to slip off to laugh,” she smiles. “I'm rather childish, you see. I might have had a giggling fit the last time someone asked me for a Screaming Orgasm.”

“I think you'll do alright with an Old Cuban,” I put the innuendo in and Loki starts doubling over.

“Oh I do hope you're staying. It's been an age since I've had a good laugh,” she starts making the drink.

“I'm checking in next week,” I tell her, fascinated by the amount of grace she can pull off whilst shaking the cocktail in ludicrously high heels. “Staying seven days.”

“Then I'll have good company,” she winks.

Already I liked Loki. She seemed like she'd have some wonderful stories. Bartenders usually saw everyone at their rawest after all.

“I'm writing a story on the culture of older hotels. I was hoping you might have some insight for me.”

“I'd have plenty of insight for you, darling,” she flirts. “It might cost you though.”

“Money?”

“Oh don't be so crude,” she tuts as she sets the drink in front of me. “A story for a story. That's fair, isn't it?”

“Yeah that's fair.”

“You and I are going to get on so well,” her fingers trail across the edge of the bar. “Enjoy your drink. I can see you're soaking in the ambience of the place. Might I suggest that spot over there for a better picture?”

“Thanks, Loki.”

“I'm here to help, darling.”

The cocktail is perfect and I sip it as I take my photos for the editors, quickly sending them in as an email attachment with a quick summary of the place. I was sure they were going to love it as much as I did.

As I glanced in one the mirrors, I nearly dropped the glass in my hand to see a man with dark hair, dark eyes and a neat goatee beard staring back at me. When I looked around though, there was no one there.

Flicking my gaze sideways, I saw a painting of a man who looked exactly like the person I'd seen in the mirror. He was dressed in a waistcoat with those sleeve garters you only found in vintage fashions, like early 1900s fashions.

 _Tony Stark, the architect and owner of the Hotel Cortez. 1925_ , the little plaque underneath said.

There was something arrogant in the eyes but maybe that was just how the painter had interpreted him. Still....something about this painting I didn't like.

I finished my drink, going back to the bar where a beautiful redheaded woman in a long gold dress was sipping on champagne. She looked like her wardrobe would cost my entire month's salary.

Was she a movie star? She sure carried herself like one.

“Thanks for the drink,” I say to Loki who was noticeably tenser in this woman's presence.

“I look forward to our next meeting, my darling,” her smile seems to only be reserved for me because it drops the second I start walking down the stairs.

I give one last look to the Cortez before walking out of the door, excited at the prospect of spending a week here. I would definitely get some stories out of this place, I could feel it.

**

“What a delightful girl,” Tony muses over the balcony. “A whole week, she said?”

“Mr Stark-” Loki began but Natasha cuts him off.

“You know as well as I do, my dear, once Tony has his mind set on someone, it's hard to change it,” she flashes her a look.

“But she's sweet.”

“Just because you'd like to get under the sheets with her,” Tony scoffs.

“I'm sure we all would,” Bucky appears from the shadows, leaning over and watching you leave, taking a long drag of a cigarette. “Even Natasha's little pet.”

“Call me a pet again and I'll get the exorcist in,” Steve joins Natasha who drapes herself over him.

“Fuck off Count Dickula,” Bucky spits back.

“Now now children,” Natasha tsks. “I never had this much trouble when Sam was here.”

“Until he became _big_ trouble,” Tony laughs. “Still bitter about that one, aren't you, my dear?”

“Just say what you were going to say, Tony,” Natasha rolls her eyes, sipping more champagne. “I'm not in the mood to reminisce.”

“Since this girl appears to have livened us all up again, I propose an idea,” Tony claps his hands together. “Imagine her joining our entourage.”

“You mean to kill her?” Loki's face falls. “She doesn't deserve that.”

“Not one of us deserved it apart from this prick,” Bucky points at Tony.

“I suppose that's fair,” Tony holds up his hands. “How about this? If she succumbs to all of our seductions then she will be joining us on a more permanent basis in this hotel? After all, if she's going to be here for eternity, she'll need to get along with each of us in turn. We'll wipe her memories after each night so we're not disadvantaged if she sees something horrific.”

“I refuse,” Loki says firmly.

“Hush, my love,” Natasha leans across, stroking Loki's arm where she pulls away violently. “You're too tender hearted sometimes. I saw how you got on with her. You want her just the same as the rest of us.”

“This is barbaric. And what if she doesn't give in? Will you violate her to achieve your goals? I can see you've already decided she's staying, Tony.”

“That's up to everyone else,” Tony shrugs.

“If you want a new plaything, Tony, I'll play my part,” Natasha shrugs. “Maybe she can join Steve and I sometime. We've never had trouble getting anyone in between us.”

“You guys are disgusting sometimes,” Bruce shakes his head as Loki prepares him an Old Fashioned out of habit. “Just keep it clean. I'm sick of mopping up your victims.”

“Bucko?” Tony looks at the dishevelled man with his ragged t-shirt and pristine leather jacket.

“I wouldn't mind a piece of that,” Bucky nods.

“Settled then,” Tony grins. “Excellent. Oh it's been so long since we had someone interesting in here. European tourists get so boring. A journalist wasn't it, Loki?”

“Yes,” Loki says through gritted teeth.

“Well we'll give her a story, alright,” Tony laughs to himself. “A grand old story indeed.”


	2. Bucky's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You ask Bucky for his tale.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Exposure, explicit mentions of attempted suicide, murder mentions, non-con, horror
> 
> (Possible proof reading errors)
> 
> -NB xx

I returned to the Cortez with my luggage, a camera and a sense that this hotel was hiding more secrets than I could see on the surface.

When I got into the lobby, Bruce was sat there with a mug of cocoa that I saw him dump a flask of something into before drinking it and shivering a little. From the look on his face, he'd not had any human interaction all day.

“Oh hey, it's you,” comes the dull reply. “Didn't think you were gonna show. It's late.”

“Oh...sorry?” I glance at the clock above him and it's right on time for check in.

“Yeah yeah,” he potters towards the keys before selecting one and tossing it towards me where I catch it just before it clips me in the cheek. “The rules of the Cortez. No parties, no orgies, no animals, no orgies with animals, no illegal shit whatsoever. Got it?”

“Has an orgy with animals ever happened here?!”

“The seventies were a weird time. Now go on. I'll give you the next room key tomorrow. That's for Room 56 today. Uh...enjoy I guess.”

I wanted to ask more about this wild seventies story but it was clear Bruce was not a people person so I might have to ask someone else.

I went into the elevator with the bronze grill as it trundled up to the floor I wanted and when it opened, the corridor had that same lush carpeting and each door had geometric lintels adorning it, keeping up the Art Deco décor. I wandered down to my room, hearing the sounds of some very energetic couple who finished just about the second I reached past their door.

When I got to Room 56, the door to Room 51 opened and a man in a sweat-stained wife beater vest came out with absolutely nothing on his bottom half, just swinging it in the breeze.

“Oh shit, didn't know someone was here. Sorry, babe,” the guy blinks but makes no effort to cover himself. “Need some ice, know what I'm saying? This broad is gonna bruise my nuts off if she keeps bouncing on them.”

“Uh huh,” I nod awkwardly, not really knowing what to say and where to look.

“Wanna use that pretty little mouth to help a guy soothe his aching cock?”

“No she fuckin' doesn't,” comes a heavy Brooklyn accent. “Now get back in before I hang you out the fuckin' window, you limp dicked pervert.”

I turn to see, what I would call, the quintessential bad boy behind me. He's got ruffled up hair, a torn rock band t-shirt, scuffed up jeans but the most pristine and cared for leather jacket I've ever seen. The thing gleams in the light and I can see it was recently treated by the shine.

“Make me, fuckhead,” Swinging dick says before this new guy charges down the corridor and he bolts back into the room shutting the door.

“You alright?” Bad Boy turns to me, piercing blue eyes scanning over my face.

“Yeah I'm fine, thank you,” I fumble with the key. “Wow I was not expecting this.”

“First time in the Cortez?” he comes back and leans against the wall, one thumb passing over his bottom lip.

“That obvious?”

“It's not what it was. Used to be the most luxurious hotel in town. Now it's used by people having affairs, prostitutes, junkies and poor bastards who want to blow their brains out in peace.”

“Really?” I give him my full attention. “So there's a lot of suicides here?”

“Folks like the fanciness of the place. Gonna die, do it in style right? From an expensive light fixture, on high thread count pillows, out the window....”

He trails off, his eyes flicking to the window behind me and I swear I catch a shudder.

“And what are you here for? Sex, drugs or suicide?” I ask bluntly.

“I'm not sure yet. Not figured it out. Not like I've not done all three before,” he rolls up his jacket sleeve and I see the scar on his wrist.

“I'm sorry.”

“Don't be. I'm not after pity and I don't want yours either. What are _you_ here for?”

“A story. I'm a journalist. I'm looking for stories from the residents of the hotel.”

“Meet me in the bar later and I'll tell you mine,” his mouth ticks upwards into a slight smile. “All tragedy, no happy ending. People love that kind of shit, don't they? See you later, doll.”

He pushes off from the wall and starts walking away.

“Wait! What's your name?” I call after him.

“Bucky,” he says over his shoulder with a grin.

After my encounter with the intensely brooding Bucky, I dropped my luggage in the room which was pristine. There were barely any plug sockets but it was an old fashioned hotel. The bed was huge, however and I jumped on it, enjoying how far I sprung up into the air.

Resolving to catch a cat nap, because I had travelled a fair ways, I flipped off the lights and just settled, burrowing myself under the sheets and relaxing.

I was in that weird state where I didn't know if I'd actually slept or not but I became aware of hands moving up and down my body, tracing the shape of it. The fingers felt all wrong though, like they were from underneath when I know I was lying on my back.

I tried to brush it off as a nightmare but the wandering hands got firmer and firmer until they wrenched at the clothing on my chest and I scrambled, flailing madly in the sheets until I fell off the bed tangled in them. When I looked at the mattress, hands were coming through it, mottled and discoloured and a waxy face started pressing through the fabric, gasping for breath through its rotten teeth.

I screamed, thrashing in the cotton bonds before I got loose but by the time I stood up, ready to bolt out of the door, there was nothing there. The mattress was just a mattress.

Convinced I'd seen something, I dragged it off the bed but the base frame was completely solid and there was no way something or someone could've been in there.

I slapped myself, swore when it hurt and then decided now was a really good fucking time to get a drink.

I'd never had a nightmare like that, that felt so real and so visceral. I was shaking in fact.

It had to be what Bucky had told me, it had to be me processing the tragedies that had happened under this roof. It had to be.

Changing into something a little less basic, I went to the bar after fixing my face from the near hysterical crying I'd just done and probably nearly bowled over the film star looking lady who I'd seen the week before who was coming the opposite way.

“Are you alright, my little love?” she purrs at me in a Russian tinged accent. “You look so frightened.”

“Sorry, bad dream. I'm a little disorientated,” I apologise.

“Not to worry, it was just a dream after all,” she reaches out to touch my face and I'm so stunned by her familiarity that I let her. “This hotel is old and people often think they see things.”

“Is it haunted?”

She laughs, bright red lips against perfect white teeth, “Highly but that's part of the fun. Go see, Loki, my little love. She'll give you something for the nerves. Tell her it's on me.”

“And who are you?”

“Miss Romanova but you can call me Natasha,” she extends a graceful hand and I shake it. “Goodbye for now.”

She walks away, faux fur coat sliding off her shoulders slightly as she sways and if I didn't know any better, I would say she was trying to get me to look. Maybe she was, come to think of it. She was quite touchy feely.

I made a mental note to look up Natasha Romanova later but for now, I headed around to the bar where I was expecting to see Bucky but he was nowhere in sight. I dinged the bell just like I had done the last time and Loki appeared in a beautiful green jumpsuit with a gold metal belt and what seemed like an enormous emerald around her neck.

“Hello my darling,” she beams at me. “I was looking forward to you coming back. But....oh my dear, you don't look well at all. Is anything the matter?”

“Just took a nap and had a bad dream. I'm fine, honestly. I saw Miss Romanova and she told me to put a drink on her tab.”

“Did she now?” Loki raises an eyebrow. “Well that's surprising. The Tsarina's rarely so generous.”

“Tsarina? Is she royalty?”

Loki starts laughing hard making her bracelets shake, “Oh good heavens no, she wishes. We all call her the Tsarina because she acts like she was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and a plum behind the lips. We are her lowly mortals to boss around for eternity.”

She makes a fake scraping bow for my entertainment before winking conspiratorially at me, “Now don't go telling her I said anything though, my darling and I'll charge _two_ drinks to her tab. Another of the same?”

“Yes please.”

As Loki places the two newly made cocktails next to me, Bucky sits down and there's something unspoken between him and the bartender. A little bit of tension? A bit of pleading? I don't really understand the emotion on Loki's face.

“Hey doll, you came,” Bucky leans an elbow on the bar. “I hoped you would.”

“You promised me a story, Bucky,” I wiggle my notepad and my voice recorder.

“And I'm gonna give you one. Loki, old fashioned,” he turns to the bartender.

“Do you have the money?” comes the half caustic reply.

“I'll repay you whatever way you like sweetheart,” Bucky flirts.

Loki sighs in exasperation, grabbing the drinks, “Oh spare me. You wouldn't know what to do with me, darling. Take your drink and be happy.”

“You're a doll.”

Bucky pulls on my arm to gesture to me to go with him to the seating area across the way and I guess he wants privacy. He takes the lead but Loki leans across the bar towards me, looking a little worried.

“Be careful with that one, my dear. That's all I'll say. I should hate to see you get hurt.”

“I'm not after sleeping with him,” I laugh. “I just want to know his history.”

“Does _he_ know you're not after warming his bed?” Loki nods her head to where Bucky was giving me a backwards glance that reeked of sexual interest.

“I can handle him.”

“As you wish,” Loki leans back before passing me some bar nibbles. “He's a talker so don't let yourself go hungry.”

After thanking her, I join Bucky who splays out in an armchair and waits for me to set my recorder up.

“I'm here with Bucky...what's your last name?” I ask, starting to jot down notes.

“Barnes. Bucky Barnes.”

“Tell me about the first time you came to the Cortez.”

He leans back, downing his drink in one gulp before fixing me with those steely blue eyes, “I was in a rock band, surprising, I know. I'm a really fucking good poet though. I write songs all the time. I sing too. So I was on the road with them, playing my gigs until I got to this place where we stayed for the groupies and the cheap blow. It was meant to be a treat, luxury hotel, trashing the mini bar. You know, rock star stuff. Only I didn't know that the band intended it to be a last fucking goodbye to me before they replaced me with the goddamn lead guitarist. The kicker? They still wanted my songs. They still played _my_ songs. When it came time for check out, I didn't wanna go. Fuck them. They could do everything by themselves. I wasn't going to tell them dick about where I had stashed my masterlist of songs.”

“So you stayed here?”

“In and out,” he circles the rim of the glass with his finger. “I spiralled after they left. Felt like they'd ripped my heart and soul out so...I filled the emptiness with anything I could. Drugs, booze, sex. Nothing helped and I got addicted. Bruce would kick me out so many times but always let me back in. I had nowhere else to go in the end. Everything was taken from me and whilst my band made money, I rotted in this place. I slit my fucking wrists in the tub when I heard they'd gotten gold with an album full of my songs, my words. _My fucking words_. What did I have left? I wrote my life and my darkest self into that music so they could tear it down to a single for disaffected kids.”

“How did you.....”

“Survive?” he grits his jaw as tears spring into his eyes. “Bruce found me, got me to the hospital. The second I healed up I was back and in the hole worse than ever. I didn't spend a single day sober.”

“And are you sober now?”

“Mostly. Everyone gets bad days, huh? You know the cheapest thing? When I was bleeding out, I didn't want to go, not really. I just kept as close to the edge of death as I could because at least I felt something.”

He wipes a tear away and looks at me intently, “That the kind of story you wanted?”

“I'm sorry, I didn't mean to upset you.”

“It's okay, doll. It's in the past.”

“What happened to the masterlist of songs?”

“It's sewn into the mattress in my room. Not looked at it in years.”

At the mention of mattresses, my back stiffens a little as I remember the very vivid dream I had before coming here.

“Thank you, I think I have what I need. I'll leave you to it.”

“Don't go yet, sweetheart. Talk to me. It's been so fucking long since someone talked to me like I wasn't a fuck up.”

“What do you want to know?”

“Tell me a secret.”

“I don't have any.”

“Oh doll, everyone has secrets,” he leans forward, hand nearly touching mine over the table. “But alright, tell me what you like to do for fun.”

**

I spent a good couple of hours talking to Bucky.

I'd pegged him for the dumb rock star and he was actually incredibly intelligent. He talked to me about the books he loved and the inspiration for his music. I wanted him to sing something for me but he said it wasn't the right time but he might before I checked out.

Loki kept me on the edge of tipsy with the cocktails she brought over and I forgot to ask if she was charging this to Miss Romanova. She kept giving me reassuring squeezes on my arms and shoulders though like she was apprehensive.

Eventually I excuse myself to go eat in the dining room which has a buffet out and I realise I'm one of three guests down here but I quite like the solitude to mull over Bucky's story. Seemed like he'd had such a rough life.

If all the residents of the Cortez were half as interesting as him, I'd be able to write an entire book about this place.

Going back to my room, I pulled the mattress off the bed again, just for my own peace of mind before getting ready to sleep, the alcohol making me tired. I'm a little nervous about getting back in the bed again but I tell myself it was just a dream.

Gradually I drift off.

There's the sensation of something kissing down the curve of my neck, lingering along my collarbone and I arch into the touch. I think I'm dreaming again, but maybe a sex dream this time. I believed that right up until I smelt something foul above me and my eyes snapped open to see that waxy face leering down at me.

I punched out of reflex, my shriek caught in my throat as I ran desperately out of my room and into the corridor, turning around to watch my open door with my chest heaving. I couldn't see anything in there but I wasn't going back in to check.

The second I saw that face peek around the doorframe, I got the fuck out of dodge. I sprinted down the corridor, yelling and straight into Bucky, who had presumably come out of his room to see what was going on.

“Woah, doll. What's wrong?” he asks, catching me.

“There's something in my room,” I babble. “It was on top of me and...there's someone in there.”

“Stay here,” he says seriously and goes to check.

I wait in the corridor, just clad in my nightshirt and panties as he takes a while before coming back out.

“There's nothing there, sweetheart,” he comes back to me, taking my shoulders in his hands. “It's just a nightmare.”

“It was real! I swear!”

He bundles me into his chest to comfort me. I didn't take him to be so gentle but maybe the tough look exterior was just an act.

“Come on, come into my room for a while until you're feeling better. Hell, swap with me if it makes you more comfortable,” he offers.

I just nod and he invites me in. His room is more old fashioned than mine. It's decorated with décor that looks more like the nineties than the vintage modern aesthetic in mine.

“Here,” he passes me a miniature vodka. “For the nerves.”

“Thanks,” I knock it back quickly.

“I like a girl that can drink,” he smiles before laying back on his bed and I can see he's been writing something. “Want me to fetch you some proper clothes? You look cold.”

“Can I just get under the sheets? I don't care about my legs being on show.”

“Dive in,” he pulls them back and I do so.

The bed is large enough that it's not an intimate thing to be both on it. He just continues scribbling away, drawing something now.

“What did you see?” he asks.

“It looked like a person but all the skin had melted so there were no distinguishing features. Discoloured, like they had been dead a while or they'd never seen the sun. It was horrible.”

“I bet.”

He calms me down as he talks nonsense before finally declaring he's done and he shows me a drawing of myself at the bar.

“That's amazing but far too generous,” I look at the beautiful sketch work. “I don't look like that.”

“You do to me, doll,” he smiles softly.

It's a cheesy line but it works and when he leans in for a kiss, I don't push him away. He tastes like alcohol and cigarettes but his kisses are pure emotion, pure passion. I feel like I'm drowning in it as he cradles me to him.

When we break away, he has tear tracks on his face and his eyes are shining brightly.

“What's wrong? Was I bad?”

“No, of course not,” he touches his nose to mine. “I just...I've never found anyone who sees me before. You heard the worst of me and you don't want to run a million miles away.”

“You're a tortured soul, Bucky Barnes but there's something beautiful deep down, I'm sure of it. You wouldn't sketch me that, come to my rescue this many times if you were a terrible person.”

He's kissing me again, firmer this time, possessive and claiming and I melt into it.

“Say you love me,” he whispers. “Say you'll love me and you'll never leave me.”

I push him back at that, my lust doused in cold water, “Woah, hey, slow down.”

“I need to hear it from someone. I need to be loved. I need someone who won't abandon me. Please say it's you.”

“I barely know you.”

“Say you fuckin' love me,” his hands grip into my hair trying to hold me in place.

“Look stop it!”

“SAY YOU FUCKING LOVE ME!”

“Bucky, get off!” I wriggle away, standing up and backing away.

“All these decades here and nothing but sorrow, addiction and hatred,” he looks quite deranged as he stands up too. “You have no idea how alone I am.”

“Just let me go back to my room, okay?”

He rips off the sheets and the undersheet and I can see a hastily sewn in line on the mattress which he wrenches apart to pull out a binder and throws it in front of me.

“You see me. Read my words, know me. If you know me, maybe you won't leave.”

I glance down and my immediate thought is one of confusion. The title of the song that's first on the pile is Man in the Box. That was an Alice in Chains song though and Bucky could not be old enough to have toured before they got big.

“I don't understand,” I look up. “These aren't yours. They can't be.”

“They're mine,” he approaches, backing me up into the corner. “All of those songs are mine. Jerry Cantrell is a fucking backstabbing _liar_. You want proof? Look it up on that device you have. Go on, I'll wait.”

And when I look it up, there's Bucky's name mentioned as a forgotten foreword. That was impossible though!

“How?!” the phone drops from my hands. “You would be middle aged by now.”

“Oh sweetheart,” he grips my jaw and keeps my head pressed back against the wall. “That wasn't my whole story. After I tried to kill myself, the Tsarina told me to sue for copyright so I could get possession of my music back. I put in a claim with her help and then they sent a fucking hitman in the night.”

He grabs the back of my neck, marching me out of his room and down the corridor to the open window at the end of the hall. I think he means to kill me for a second but he just forces me to look out of it.

“I was jacked on heroin at the time. I couldn't fight back. He dragged me down this corridor whilst I screamed my fucking head off and then he threw me out of this very window and see what a long way down it was? I had time to realise I was going to die and there was nothing I could do about it. Nothing. I died in 1993, doll and I've never been able to leave since. Do you get it now? I died unloved and alone. So I'm going to love you and keep you with me because you understand my pain, I know you do. The secret you won't tell me is hidden behind your eyes and it's pain.”

He's wrenching my panties down and I can't fight him off without toppling headfirst out of the window. I'm leaning too far over and he's the only thing keeping me supported with one arm around my waist.

“So let me love you, doll. I'll be so good to you. You inspire me so much.”

I feel him drop to his knees, his hands clutching my thighs to keep me stable as something warm and wet lathes across my exposed pussy and I gasp in shock. I realise then that he's using his tongue and I can't stop him.

I wish he wasn't so good at it and I wish I wasn't half hanging out towards my death. I'm captured between fear and the burgeoning lust he's forcing me to feel as he swirls around my clit and as much as I try to stave off the unwanted orgasm, it crashes through me just as he stands up and I feel him bury his cock deep in my still twitching walls.

“You're so perfect,” he praises as he thrusts hard. “You and I would be so perfect. I could write songs for you, you could write stories for me. We could get lost in our own little world of creativity. Oh doll, say you fucking love me, please. Say it.”

“Let me go,” my voice is hitched and terrified. “Please, Bucky.”

“Then tell me you love me and mean it, sweetheart.”

I swallow before faking the caring tone, “I love you, Bucky.”

“Again.”

“I love you, Bucky.”

“Again!”

“I love you!”

He finishes in me with a grunt before I feel the wet splash of tears on my back. He pulls me into the hall and away from the danger of falling before clutching me tightly.

“Thank you,” he murmurs. “It was nice to hear it just once.”

But when I look up to confront him, all I see is one side of his head caved in. I try to blink the image away but it's just not going.

“What.....what....”

“You really see me, don't you?” the smile is horrifying on the smashed up face.

I run as fast as I can away from him with my panties around my thighs and lock myself in my room. Once in there, I collapse against the door, trying to process what had happened. I pulled my panties back up, touching myself to assess the damage but to my bewilderment, I couldn't find any evidence of what had just happened. There was no wetness, no soreness, nothing.

What the fuck was going on? Was I losing my mind?

“You're not going mad,” a voice says next to me and I yelp as I see the face from the portrait in the bar area next to me. “Soon you'll realise the truth of this place and you'll make your choice. For now, this was nothing but a bad dream. Sleep, my dear and tomorrow you'll be another step closer to joining us permanently.”

I think I passed out.

**

Tony places you on the bed under the covers before walking out of the room to see Bucky in full blown hysterics.

“What's the matter with you?” he asks with a sigh. “You didn't have fun?”

“I didn't want it to go that way. It was going so well to start with. She wanted me, like actually wanted me and I messed it up like I always do.”

“Blurting out that you're dead probably didn't help your cause,” Tony shakes his head. “You've always been too needy, Buck. It's a good thing she won't remember anything past the bar talk. Just remember, it's someone else's turn now. Don't try to approach her any more. She's not yours.”

“She could be.”

“She's not. She'll belong to all of us. Don't be greedy.”

“She just felt so good in my arms .”

“I'm sure I'll find out soon enough. Go back to your room and if I catch you going near her again before this wager is done, there'll be consequences. Got it?”

“Yes Stark.”

“Off you go.”

Tony shook his head. He'd expected that Barnes would botch his seduction attempt. The boy was too tragic, too broken and had too many attachment issues to do the thing properly.

When he got to the bar, the rest of them were waiting.

“One down,” he says with his arms out wide and a grin on his face. “She's well on the way to being our newest resident.”

“Do you want to go next, my love or should we?” Natasha stirs her drink, nodding towards Steve.

“You have your fun with her. I'm planning something bigger,” Tony joins them at the bar before noticing Loki's distraught face. “Why the sour expression, my dear?”

“He hurt her, didn't he?” Loki's choking back barely concealed rage. “I could hear it from down here.”

“Bucky got carried away,” Tony shrugs.

“Can't you see how barbaric this is?”

“Yes and I don't care. Think of who you're talking to and be thankful I don't kill _you_. I'm gracious enough to give you the option to leave if you don't like this place.”

Loki storms off, her hair fanning behind her with the sheer speed and Steve leans across to Tony.

“She's going to interfere, isn't she?”

“Probably. If she does, she'll regret it. She knows better than to cross me or Natasha.”

“She's young, she's impulsive and she's sensitive,” Natasha coos. “Let her be. Loki can give the poor girl some support when it comes to it later. This won't be an easy transition once she remembers what we did to her.”

“You're right, as always,” Tony sighs.

“Hey, you'll never guess who just checked in,” Bruce is running up the stairs, getting out of breath. “He's just gone up to Room 64.”

“No,” Tony's mouth falls open. “Oh this just got so much more _interesting_.”

He caught a glimpse of Detective Sam Wilson in the elevator and looked to Natasha who'd gone wide eyed.

“I never thought he'd come back,” she says quietly.

“Fancy reinstating the old wager?” Tony's eyes glitter. “Call it a side bet. Let's see who can drive the detective mad first and we'll keep playing with our little guest in the mean time. Oh this is the most alive I've felt in decades. What fun this'll be.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> No disrespect meant to Alice in Chains, I just thought they suited the grunge era vibe!


	3. Natasha & Steve's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Natasha and Steve take you out for the day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Grooming tactics, Jealousy, Angst, Smut, Dubcon, Hate Sex, Marking, Blood, Cuckolding.
> 
> (Possible proof reading errors)
> 
> \- NB xx

I woke up with a start, convinced Bucky the rock star was hovering over me on the bed but as my eyes adjusted to the light, there was nothing there.

Hazy, with a sense of dread that I wasn't sure where it had come from, I redressed for the morning, packing my stuff to be able to move rooms. I wondered where I'd be put next.

When I left to go into the corridor, I turned to the window like I was half remembering something and for a fraction of a second I saw a silhouette in a leather jacket but the head was not shaped normally, like half of it had been crushed inwards. I froze in place as the figure slowly moved around and caught the light and Bucky's face stared back at me.

“FUCK!” I yelp, my voice echoing down the hallway as I look for help but when I look back, the figure is gone.

I didn't know if what Miss Romanova had told me was sticking in my mind now, making me see things. First the creature in the mattress and now this.

“Morning doll.”

I jump a mile as Bucky comes out of his room with a sad little smile.

“You scared me,” I clutch my chest, trying to get my breath back.

“Sorry. This place is fucking creepy at the best of times. Thanks for the talk and the drink. Company was nice for once. See you around,” he waves before making his way to the staircase and disappearing from view.

What I saw couldn't have been Bucky. He'd just been talking to me. Was this place actually haunted or had I finally cracked under the pressure of deadlines?

A yell broke my reverie, a male voice and I spun around as someone barrelled out of Room 64 and hit the opposite wall with a thud, sliding down it. My desire to help overrode my desire to flee and I ran over, picking him up as he blinked in a daze.

“Are you okay?” I ask.

“Shit,” he thumps his chest hard. “Thought I...I thought I saw....never mind. Sorry for startling you.”

“That's okay. I've been thinking I'm seeing a lot of stuff in this place too. Sets me on edge for some reason.”

“Really?” his eyes meet mine. “Did you see a....uh....demon looking thing? Wearing a....you know what, it's fine. I've been working too hard.”

“Come on, you look like you need a good breakfast,” I shut his door and start guiding him to the elevator. “Coffee and bacon helps with a whole lot of nerve issues.”

As we get in, he seems to compose himself a bit more. The silence is comfortable as his breathing becomes more regular and when we reach the dining area, he heaps himself a large amount of sugar in his coffee before settling at a table.

I don't want to impose so I don't make like I'm going to sit next to him but he waves me over and I take the cue. He's already wolfing down eggs quicker than I can drink my juice.

“Sorry for gatecrashing your morning,” he straightens his tie. “I'm Sam, Sam Wilson.”

“Nice to meet you Sam,” I give my name too. “And don't apologise, I swear things are trying to crawl out of the mattress and get me here and I'm not talking bed bugs.”

He laughs before stretching his arms and when his jacket rides up, I see a shining police badge hidden there. What was a cop doing in the Cortez?

“Investigating or relaxing?” I nod to his belt.

“Neither,” his face falls a little. “More like I'm getting away from something and trying to remember something at the same time. I know that doesn't make a whole lot of sense but I'm working a case that's hit a brick wall and...I don't know, maybe I'm looking for inspiration. How about you?”

“Travel journalist. Before you say anything, I'm not angling for a scoop. I write about this city, it's restaurants, tourist traps and hotels. Mainly I wanted to talk to the long stay residents of this place for colour commentary because they're quite unique people.”

“You can say that again. You don't want to know what I heard going on in the room next to me last night,” he shakes his head.

It was nice talking with Sam. He didn't ask me anything further about my job and I didn't ask him about his. I got the impression he was quite highly strung, possibly divorced from the way he was rubbing his ring finger like it was a habit. Maybe it'd gotten too much for him lately.

The more the conversation flowed, the happier he became and I disturbed the only other diner in the hall by laughing hard at a, frankly, terrible joke but I needed a laugh right now.

“Thank you,” he smiles brightly at me. “For not thinking I was a lunatic this morning. This has been exactly what I needed.”  
“Happy to help. Hey, if you're staying for the same length of time I am, let's get breakfast every morning. We can start the day on a good footing.”

“Sounds good to me,” Sam nods before his phone starts blaring and the cheery mood he'd clawed back drops in an instant. “It's work, sorry. I have to take this. I'll see you tomorrow.”

I wave him off before returning to my food and when a swathe of magenta silk catches my vision, I look up to see Miss Romanova sitting down in Sam's freshly vacated seat. She's clutching what looks like a Bloody Mary cocktail in her gloved hand.

Another man I haven't seen before sits in the adjacent seat. He's tall, handsome, neat facial hair and he wears a tailored suit that shows he's powerfully built underneath.

“Good morning, my little love,” she purrs.

“Morning, starting the day early?” I point to the cocktail.

“It's five o'clock somewhere,” she shrugs. “I've never cared for convention. This is my partner Steve Rogers.”

“Hi Steve,” I extend my hand out and, rather than shake it, he kisses the back of it. I feel the brush of his soft beard against my skin.

“Enchanted,” his blue eyes sparkle.

“Forgive us for interrupting but I remember you being so scared yesterday. I wanted to make sure you were alright,” Miss Romanova draws the attention back to herself.

“I'm fine. I might have had a funny turn this morning but I'm alright now.”

“Oh my poor thing,” she reaches across and grabs my hand, squeezing it. “The ghosts are so restless in this place. Why don't you come spend the day with us? We're about to go shopping.”

“We'd love to have you along,” Steve adds which could've sounded creepy if it came from someone else.

“Would it be okay to ask you some questions about yourselves if I join you?”

I can see my next chapter already. The Tsarina, as Loki called her, was someone who fascinated me and I wanted to know more about her. Steve was the addendum to that story.

“Of course!” she laughs softly. “So long as you agree that I can buy you what I want with no fussing. I want to spoil you.”

“You...want to what?”

“I want to buy you pretty things. Money is nothing to me, my love. I want to buy you pretty things that'll make you smile.”

“I really don't need anything, thank you.”

“That's the price of my story,” she winks before draining the Bloody Mary. “And his also.”

“Let us dress you up, take you somewhere fancy,” Steve leans a bit more forward and I catch the scent of his spiced cologne. “Let us spoil you, doll. Our treat.”

“Uh...” I stumble for the words.

It was flustering that this beautiful couple were giving me so much attention. I didn't know what to do. My usual easy air had evaporated under the collective power these two radiated.

“Say yes, pretty girl,” Miss Romanova strokes the back of my hand. “I promise this will be a story you'll never forget.”

“Okay then but nothing outrageous, please.”

“Humble,” Steve laughs. “And modest. You're very sweet. Meet us in the lobby in half an hour.”

They get up to leave and I interrupt, “Miss Romanova, should I wear anything different?”

“We'll change your fashion soon enough and it's Natasha, my love,” she kisses my cheek as she passes. “I think we'll be well acquainted by the end of today to dispense with formalities.”

I took the stairs, mulling over what precisely these two were going to do and whether I should be concerned or thankful. I didn't even realise I'd blown past Loki sat on the other side of the bar for once until it clicked and I turned around.

“Sorry, didn't mean to be rude. Lot on my mind,” I apologise.

She stands up, looking a lot more understated in a black cocktail dress but it suited her. Everything suited her.

“Oh don't worry yourself about that, darling,” she laughs. “I'm just doing some reading and doing some people spotting at the same time. It's rather fun. Are you in a hurry?”

“Yeah, Miss...uh the Tsarina insisted I come shopping with her to get her story...and Steve too.”

“Did they now?” Loki closes her book and clasps her hands around her knee giving me her full attention. “I take it she was quite pushy.”

“Kind of.”

“No doubt she wants to make you her latest doll project. She does love picking up her poorer strays to makeover.”

“Oh, she does this a lot then?”

“You're looking at a former project,” Loki gestures to herself. “Just don't get used to it. Her attentions sour quite quickly. She gets bored easily.”

“I don't even want to go shopping. I'd much rather get a hot drink and pull up a chair,” I sigh. “I get awkward when people get me gifts.”

“You are wonderful, my darling,” she beams at me. “A lovely woman like yourself should not be here in this place. It'll ruin you.”

“Well it's not all bad. There's you after all.”

“Oh you flirt,” she winks, before picking her book back up. “Just be mindful and if she makes you look like a screen siren, come show me first so I can get outrageously jealous that you'll look better than me.”

“I don't think that's possible. She'd need a good canvas to start with and she won't get that with me,” I laugh before starting to walk backwards and away. “Save me a drink tonight.”

“Always, my dear.”

**

Half an hour later I was in a limo, of all things, being taken to the shopping complex where only the elite came.

They didn't chat much, even when I tried to engage but merely plied me with champagne and I was glad I'd eaten already or I'd be very tipsy right now.

“This is luxury, my love. Enjoy it,” Natasha loops her arm around mine and squeezes it.

“This is one day to let loose,” Steve smiles and I can see the micro-movement where he wants to put his hand on my knee but thinks better of it. “Don't be so tense.”

“I'm not used to this,” a strawberry is pressed to my lips and I take it, trying not to feel uncomfortable at the attention of people much more attractive than I was.

Half of me thought this was a precursor to maybe a serial killer couple murder spree by the way they were preening over me but if Loki had been in my position then I know I was safe at least.

“I know. I was not either when I first gained wealth. Now I want to share it with people who have known the lower classes like myself,” Natasha lays her head on my shoulder.

Finally, I was getting some of her story and I clicked on the recorder.

“How did you gain wealth?”

“In good time. We're here.”

I was ushered out into shop after shop, dressed in clothing that would've been an entire year's salary for me and both Natasha and Steve cooed their appreciation with so many compliments. There wasn't a fakeness to them, they were genuinely appreciative and even though I'd gotten off to a rocky start, I was gaining confidence.

In one of the last shops, Natasha gave me a deep burgundy gown that screamed Old Hollywood, it dipped off the shoulders in a sweetheart neckline and fell in swathes around my feet after flaring from my knees.

“You're so beautiful,” Natasha looks so overjoyed that she's tearful. “Oh, my pretty girl, you remind me so much of my younger life.”

“You're a picture, doll,” Steve's smile is radiant. “I think that's the keeper for the day. No one would be able to resist you. No one.”

“Oh I don't think so,” I'm getting hot as embarrassment floods through me.

In the final shop, it's high end lingerie and Steve respectfully waits outside. I'm subject to having piles of skimpy lace shoved into my arms and being barrelled into a changing room. I don't think I'm going to look good. This is not what I usually wear.

When I put them on though, I don't even look like myself. I look....I look _amazing_.

“How are you doing, my love?” Natasha calls through the curtain.

I think my ego is so inflated at this point and the alcohol is getting to me that I want to show off so I call for her to come in. She slides into the booth and audibly gasps.

“Oh my love, you are...delicious,” she circles me before spinning me so I can see my reflection in the mirror. “Look at you. The kitten is a lioness. Men and women would weep for the chance of a night with you.”

“It does look good.”

“No, my girl, it looks _stunning_ ,” her hands are on my waist. “Look how it enhances your body. Your body is a fine dessert but this is the garnish.”

“Thank you, I-” I turn my head and didn't realise she was so close to me.

There's this strange moment where my eyes keep drifting to her cherry painted lips and hers are on mine. I didn't realise how much unspoken tension had knotted between us until I was wondering what would happen if either of us made a move. Did she even like women? I didn't know. She could just be overly friendly and tactile.

“If I asked, would you let me?” she whispers, the tips of her fingers lightly caressing my skin.

“I...”

“Are you two alright in there?” Steve is outside and it breaks the moment.

“Fine, we'll be out shortly,” Natasha calls back but I can hear the annoyance in her tone. “Let's pay for these.”

She slips out whilst I redress and we leave with more bags to add to the many I already have in the limo. Natasha goes to speak to the driver, leaving myself and Steve in the backseat and I'm trying not to feel awkward that I might have kissed his girlfriend if he'd been five minutes slower.

He looks kind of pissed so maybe he knows. His jaw is set quite tightly.

“She's one of a kind, isn't she?” Steve breaks the silence.

“That's why I want to know her story and yours too,” I make sure not to skip a beat so he doesn't seem like an afterthought.

“She's more interesting than I am. Let's leave it at that,” he cuts off the conversation as Natasha gets back in.

“Back to my hotel for drinks. I am sure you'll want to show off your outfits to Loki. You seem to be getting along well,” Natasha cuddles up into the side of me again and I'm in the middle of her being incredibly affectionate and Steve radiating anger to the other side of me.

“She's lovely,” I nod.

“I do love to see women supporting each other. Warms my heart.”

Steve makes a derisive snort and Natasha shoots him a look that has him quailing almost. He definitely didn't wear the pants in their relationship.

“Steve, dear. When I want your opinion on the female struggle I will ask for it,” her tone drops to ice. “Don't be rude to our guest.”

“Wait, you said _your_ hotel earlier,” I turn to her.

“I own it. It's mine. I'll tell you more when we get back,” she purrs into my ear before lowering her tone. “Ignore Steve, he's not usually this catty.”

One tense ride later, I nearly run up to my room with all the garments, changing into the burgundy gown because I think Loki would appreciate it the most. Maybe I could use her as a buffer between these two who obviously had some problems going on.

I got to the bar after making an effort with my hair and make up and was met with not only Loki, Natasha and Steve but Bucky was drinking on the opposite side of the mezzanine and he raised his glass to me along with a thumbs up.

“My god you are a vision,” Loki takes me in. “Though I like you in either form. You scrub up well, my darling.”

“She is beautiful,” Natasha's smile widens. “Loki, please get us some drinks in the dumb waiter. We'll be in the penthouse this evening.”

“Of course, Miss Romanova,” Loki nods. “I'll have them sent up soon.”

“Come along,” Natasha takes my arm. “It's more cosy upstairs. My story is quite private. Did you bring your equipment?”

“I did.”

“Let's go. Steve, come on.”

Steve knocks back his liquor before following like a sulking child. I'm really starting to feel like I've intruded now.

The penthouse, when we reach it, is so different to the rest of the building, sleek and modern with neon signs on the walls. This is new opulence.

“Do you like it?” Natasha crosses to a hatch in the wall where our drinks have come up from the bar below.

“It's wonderful.”

“Sit down, my love. Let me tell you my story. I did promise you it,” she pats the couch. “Steve, sit next to her.”

Again she put physical distance between her and her partner and he sat, drinking heavily before getting up to get more alcohol from a cabinet nearby.

“I used to work in films,” Natasha begins, circling the rim of her glass with her finger. “I was a background dancer. You know how it is, I tried to be a star but I never had star potential. I fell in love with the lead actor of a film I was working on but he was married. Imagine my surprise that his wife was happy to welcome me also. It was beautiful for a time. Then my darlings were killed, vanished from my grasp and I was left with nothing. I wanted to end it. I came to the Cortez and intended to jump from the roof but the owner stopped me. He loved me, offered me a marriage and I accepted. There was no passion between us, nothing but indifferent hatred until one day my loves came back to me. They told me they had to fake their deaths, that they carried a virus which meant they didn't age and it would be too noticeable to remain. They gave me that virus. I was going to leave my husband but he got arrested and killed before I could. The Cortez passed to me.”

“What kind of virus?” I ask, utterly enraptured that I barely felt her hand stroking my thigh.

“Vampirism,” Steve cuts in. “But you wouldn't believe us.”

“There's a disease that's like vampirism,” I argue. “Sensitivity to light, a need for iron-”

“It's true, my love. We're vampires,” Natasha turns my face.

“I think I've drunk more than I thought,” I set my glass down.

“I was born in 1904. Steve is a lot younger than I am. I only turned him in 1993.”

“1993....” why did that year seem so familiar?

“Remember, pretty girl. Remember yesterday,” she urges. “But just the nice parts.”

Bucky.

It all came flooding back except the memory of how I left his room after his revelation.

“Bucky told me he died in 1993,” I breathe. “But how-”

“Buck used to be my lover,” Steve has my full attention now, his blue eyes burning into mine. “I was one of his groupies and his enabler. I could get any kind of drugs you wanted. Then I met the Tsarina. Who could ever compare to her, right?”

“You're part of the reason why he tried to kill himself.”

“He's always been...fragile. Should I have to live my life caring for him? Don't I deserve to be happy?” Steve frowns.

“I mean, you did kill him in the end,” Natasha laughs softly. “I think a part of you still wanted him around. If you die on the grounds of the Hotel Cortez you can never leave it, you see my love.”

“What?” I blink. “You...you murdered Bucky?”

“He never would've survived if the band had taken him back. He was an addict. He would've OD'd with all the lawsuit money. At least this way I can keep an eye on him,” Steve shrugs.

“You're too soft, my dear. So precious,” Natasha leans on my shoulder.

I don't know what to do. By all rights I was sat here with two murderers but what could one human do against two vampires?

“Are you going to turn me too?” I whisper but they catch it.

“You don't deserve it,” Steve snarls.

“Enough!” Natasha looks at him sharply. “If you won't play nice, go downstairs. I won't have you frightening my guest.”

“She's frightened as it is. Look at her, shaking. A pretty bag of blood that's frothing itself.”

“I don't understand you, Steve. We've fucked and killed hundreds of men and women and you get jealous now?”

“You don't look at them the way you look at her. You used to look at _me_ that way,” Steve's voice starts cracking. “You're bored of me, aren't you?”

“I am slowly becoming bored of this envy. It's not attractive,” Natasha snaps and I take the opportunity to finish my drink quickly.

If she's going to kill me, I want to be blind drunk and not care so much.

“What are you going to do with me?” I ask.

“Give you pleasure. We're not going to harm you...not unless you're into that,” she laughs. “I don't want to turn you. That's all. I want you, my love. You felt it in that changing room, the connection we share.”

What choice did I have? If ghosts were real, vampires were real and I stood absolutely no chance of getting away. I should try and keep them on side by playing along and maybe I'll get out of here.

Her lips meet mine and the kiss is tender, loving. It catches me off guard the way it's almost a worship. I shouldn't be liking this, knowing what she is but my body is saying something very different.

Maybe I liked the danger, the fear deep down inside.

Her fingers trail to my back and start undoing the zipper, her kisses becoming heavier, more passionate. She breaks away with reluctance.

“Such a sweet girl,” she praises. “Show Steve what we bought in the final shop.”

She helps me stand up before presenting me like a gift and peeling the dress down to show off the outrageously skimpy lingerie set. I watch his face change from annoyance to annoyance but arousal too.

“You don't want her?” Natasha entices him, running her hands down my body. “You truly would rather hate her than have her?”

She undoes my bra, pulling it free from my arms and I feel vulnerable, much too vulnerable in front of them. I'm just prey and they're toying with me.

“No no, don't be shy,” she says softly. “Let him see. Let him see you in your glory.”

Steve stands up as Natasha manages to pry my hands away and I must look like a deer in the headlights to him. Something carnal sparks in his gaze.

“She is very innocent, isn't she?” he reaches out to touch my cheek. “Maybe innocent is the wrong word. Timid.”

“Kiss him, dear one,” Natasha instructs me. “Go ahead.”

I was out of my depth and it took her pushing me forward to finally do as she asked. I reached up to kiss Steve and I thought he wouldn't accept it at first but gradually he reciprocated. His kisses were more consuming, like he was trying to dominate me, own me. It was aggressive and the more I tried to match him, the more he drew me in.

“See, you like her more than you let on,” Natasha laughs. “Now, for being a petty little bitch, you get to look not touch until I've had my fun with her.”

“What?!” Steve breaks away immediately.

“You heard me,” Natasha leads me up the stairs to the bedroom. “Now follow.”

And when we reach the bed, she pushes me backwards and I sprawl much further than I was expecting. Her strength was well hidden.

“In the chair. You can touch yourself but if you dare cum, Steve...” Natasha warns before kissing him messily. “Understand?”

“Yes, Tsarina.”

“Good boy,” she turns back to me before unzipping her dress and I see the black basque come into view, the stockings meticulously aligned. “Now, as for you, my love...enjoy. I've been looking forward to this.”

She crawls onto the bed over me and with the way she handles me, it's very masculine all of a sudden, like she's putting on a display to annoy Steve. The soft kisses of before are gone and she's pawing at my skin, tongue slipping into my mouth.

I let her do what she wants. It's not like I could stop her. I just really wasn't expecting to be enjoying it this much.

“A face of innocence but you're no stranger to this, are you?” Natasha brushes her lips against mine with every word. “Look how you move against me.”

She had her thigh in between mine and I was unconsciously grinding against it. I stopped immediately.

“No, no,” she laughs. “Sweet girl, no more embarrassment. Accept it, bathe in it, _drown_ in it.”

She hooked her fingers into my underwear and dragged them off until I was fully naked in front of her and Steve, who I was desperately trying to avoid eye contact with. I wasn't sure if looking at him would start a fight between them again.

Not that it mattered when she began kissing up my calf, my inner thigh, her mouth hovering over me, because my eyelids began fluttering closed. I see her direct a pointed glare at Steve before her tongue reaches out to lap from my soaking slit all the way to the little bud, tasting me.

“I have sampled many girls in my time but you are amongst the most delightful,” she grins at the tiny mewl I let out.

In my peripheral vision, Steve gives in, shoving his jealousy aside and he's stroking his very sizeable cock now. I half wondered if that's why Natasha had chosen him for an immortal partner.

“Look at him,” she instructs me, her hand reaching up to turn my jaw. “Watch him please himself to us. Watch him get hard with desire for something I'm denying him. He wants you but I won't let him have you. What a shame when you're so tight around my fingers.”

She's slipped two in before she returns to devouring me, pumping them lazily.

“You're not gonna let me fuck her at all?!” Steve stops.

“Not until you stop whining which won't be today from the look of it,” she surfaces, her mouth slick with my juices. “Now keep quiet. You're spoiling her orgasm. If you interrupt me again, I'll turn her out of spite.”

I can see all manner of insults brimming on the type of Steve's tongue but he bites them back when I start moaning loudly. Natasha's really working me now, zoning in on what makes me start gripping the bedsheets, what makes me shake in her grasp and just as the wave of pleasure is building, I open my eyes to see Steve absolutely transfixed by me and I can't tear my eyes away from his ragged thrusts into his hands and the expression that says he wished it was me and not his fist.

My body arches and I half scream as Natasha drives an orgasm through me, overstimulating me until I'm weakly begging her to stop. There's a sadistic laugh from her that doesn't suit the serene face.

“What a prize you are,” she moves over me again. “I'm very strongly considering keeping you for myself. Do you want more, my love?”

“Yes,” I pant and it's the truth.

“Then I'll give you more. I'll give you whatever you want.”

She leans under the bed before drawing out a double ended strap-on with a small vibrator on one side. Of course she'd have many toys.

“I'll give you a fucking that Steve never could,” her gaze darts to her lover again who is getting red in the face from sexual frustration and anger.

“No, let me fuck _you_ ,” I sit up.

If I could tip the power dynamic back to myself then at least it gave me a tiny bit of control.

“I'm not submissive for women, my love,” she shakes her head, red curls spilling over her shoulders.

“I'm not asking you to be. I just said I want to fuck you.”

“She said no,” Steve cuts me off with a glare.

“I didn't say no outright and you don't speak for me, Steve. Go on then, pretty girl. Try and own me.”

She helps me into the strap-on before I take my time undressing her. If she's surprised at my confidence, she's not showing it but when I pull her down onto the bed and yank her thighs so she's lying flat on her back, I can see her interest is piqued.

“You certainly are special,” she purrs before reaching up and flicking the vibrator on.

It's intense, hard to focus but I guide myself into her after warming her up with a few experimental licks. When I bottom out, the vibrations get more intense and I'm struggling to keep it together.

“Strong, isn't it?” she laughs.

The laugh is cut off when I snap my hips against her and her mouth forms into an 'o'. From there I roll my hips, languidly thrusting at first, grinding to hit the spot that's making her head loll back. I get ambitious then, grabbing her thigh to wrap it around myself as I pick up my pace.

I'd never been this aggressive with any girl before but with Natasha, I just wanted to ruin her, smear the perfect make-up, mess up the artfully styled hair.

“Yes! Yes, my love!” she groans, clutching the pillow so hard her fingertips were white.

I came before she did, white spots dancing in my vision but I didn't stop, I didn't dare stop even when my entire body was shivering violently from the incessant vibration. I didn't stop until I watched her own end building in her eyes and she grabbed the back of my hair to kiss me as she twitched beneath me.

I finally look at Steve and I couldn't even say what emotion that was he was displaying. What I did know is that his cock was absurdly hard and it seemed like he'd very nearly disobeyed Natasha's orders and cum.

“You were wonderful,” Natasha kisses my cheeks softly. “It has been so many years, I'd forgotten I can enjoy it with the right person. Are you taking notes, Steve? That's how you should fuck me. It's soft and domineering at the same time.”

“I think I know how to fuck just fine,” he hisses.

“Oh dear. No orgasms for you this week then,” she tuts, pouting. “You want to be a brat, I'll treat you like one. Redress yourself, my love. I have business to attend to with Mr Stark. Steve, show her out.”

She gets up, wrapping herself in a robe that looked more like an expensive evening gown before touching up her make-up and disappearing down towards the elevator. That left me alone with her very confused and furious partner.

I quickly got myself out of the harness and stood up to go downstairs to get my clothing but just as I reached the door frame, Steve grabbed me and pinned me to the wall by my throat.

“She's not yours, you hear? She's mine and fucking her doesn't mean she _stopped_ being mine.”

“I don't care,” I try to push him away. “You're welcome to her. I'm just trying to survive this place.”

“You're not going to. We're all going to have our fun and then you'll die here. I'm warning you for when you become another resident. Stay the fuck away from the Tsarina.”

“Fine! Just let me go! It wasn't done to emasculate you, you know.”

“Who says I was emasculated?” he answers very quickly, too defensively. “I'll show you fucking emasculated.”

He grabs one of my legs, dragging it up until I'm open and exposed to him before he thrusts his cock into my still drenched pussy, never losing his grip on my neck. He ruts brutally, almost bruisingly and I can barely cry out as I'm being half choked.

“Well aren't you a dirty little girl, huh?” he laughs. “I can feel you gripping me so tightly. You like this, don't you? You like being used. You like me hurting you. I think you'll like it when I fill you up too.”

He lets go of my throat and I take a deep breath, coughing a little but before I can say anything, he's kissing me again, that same aggressive kiss like before. I'm not letting him win, I'm not letting him take the control from me that I gained with Natasha and I'm certainly not going to give him an excuse to kill me.

Stay alive at any cost.

I kiss him back and he rears away, stopping and completely off guard.

“What?” he blinks before grinning. “So you _do_ like it.”

“This is your story too Steve. Make it interesting.”

The challenge settles in his mind before he dives on me again. He fully picks me up, balancing me against the wall before pistoning his hips harder than before and despite myself, despite this horrible situation, I'm growling like an animal. I'm ripping his back to shreds and he doesn't care.

“Let me taste you,” he snarls. “Let me have something Natasha hasn't had.”

“Do it,” I don't even know what I'm agreeing to any more.

I feel a sharp pricking pain and then something wet running down my collarbone. When I look, he's cut me, only slightly, so I'm bleeding.

I shouldn't have found it as erotic as I did, Steve latching onto the small cut and lapping with his tongue but the noises he was making....shit.

“Fuck!” I came again, his pubic bone grinding against my oversensitive clit and I truly felt boneless this time.

He finishes inside me, cum already dripping out around his cock that was still buried deep in my aching pussy. Neither of us moved for a while.

“I still hate you,” he says after he lets me down.

“I still think you're a whipped little bitch but you fuck really well,” I counter.

“You fuck well too. It's a nice change,” he admits. “Now get dressed.”

His attitude had softened back to the time at the breakfast table this morning and he was more helpful, tactile but there was still an undercurrent of one-upmanship.

“Natasha never finds out,” he says in the elevator. “You think _I'm_ a jealous person? I'm nothing compared to her. She'll kill us both.”

“I won't tell her if you don't.”

“Alright. Cover that cut up tomorrow, if you remember anything that is.”

“Am I really going to be killed?”

He looks at me and sighs, “It's not my decision to overturn but you're not going to recall I ever said that.”

“Then tell me what's going on before I forget.”

“Tony Stark, the architect of this hotel. He wants you to stay forever. Most of the residents do.”

“As a...ghost?”

“Yeah, as a ghost.”

“I don't want to be dead.”  
“None of them do, doll but either you escape, they kill you or the Tsarina truly spites me and turns you. Only thing is, they wipe your memories every night so you're not going to have the compulsion to escape until it's too late.”

“I see.”

Could I leave myself a note? A video memo? Anything? Would I have time to run outside of the Cortez walls now to do that? I didn't think they'd let me escape if I made a break for it now.

“I don't _really_ hate you. I just know she's getting bored of me,” Steve says quietly.

“Maybe she'd let you keep me as a pet.”

It was intended to be dry sarcasm but I don't think he took it that way. He looked delighted with the idea in fact.

“I'll talk to her after a grovelling apology and oh...watch your step.”

The elevator had stopped between floors and he opened the grate before bundling me down and shoving me out. I hit the carpet in the hallway from a height, rolling until my head bounced off the skirting board and I blacked out momentarily.

When I came to, there was a crowd of people surrounding me.

“Give her some space,” Sam was pushing Bruce and Loki back. “She's coming round.”

“Oh thank fuck, I'm getting so tired of mopping up bodies around this place. Can't people kill themselves at home?” Bruce shakes his head. “I shouldn't have to know how to get bloodstains out of a carpet.”

“Be quiet you odious man,” Loki hisses. “My darling? Darling, are you alright?”

“What happened? How did I get here?”

“I found you in the corridor,” Loki kneels closer. “The Detective helped me move you into the recovery position. Do you need an ambulance?”

“No I'm fine,” I get up, my head throbbing. “I don't remember why I'm here. I was just about to meet Natasha and Steve in the bar. They were going to tell me their story.”

“That was hours ago,” Loki frowns. “Detective, will you help me get her to her new room? Bruce, take her cases from the old one.”

“Do I look like a porter?” Bruce throws his arms out.

“Oh just do it, you spiteful toad!”

With Loki and Sam's help, they get me into room 82 which is vastly different from the other one. It's more spacious, like a miniature apartment.

“You can leave her in my care,” Loki says to Sam. “Thank you for the assistance.”

“Any time. Can't have my breakfast buddy be out for the count,” Sam smiles. “You gonna be okay, sweetheart? Nothing you wanna report?

“No, I'll be fine,” I nod. “Thanks.”

“See you tomorrow,” Sam nods before exiting and Bruce comes in a moment later, dumping my bags unceremoniously before leaving.

“What did they do to you?” Loki whispers and I don't understand why she's saying that. “Monsters.”

“Loki, will you stay with me a while?”

“Of course. I'll-”

But there's a knock at the door and when Loki answers, Bucky is there. He looks incredibly sad when he spots me for some reason.

“They want you on the bar. They wouldn't take no for an answer.”

“I wouldn't expect anything less from those vultures,” Loki bristles with anger. “I'll be down in a moment then.”

She turns back to me as Bucky disappears from view, “I'm so sorry. Work never ends in this place. Let me help you out of that dress so you can be more comfortable.”

She manoeuvres me out of the burgundy gown and helps me into some Pjs before putting me to bed. I'm still a little out of it.

“Phone reception if you need me. I don't give an artistic fuck if they're not happy with me leaving the bar, you call me. Understand?”

“Okay,” I smile weakly. “Thank you for taking care of me, I mean, generally in this place.”

“And I'll continue to do so,” she brushes my hair back. “Rest up.”

She walks out of the door and I switch on the TV, trying to piece together why I couldn't remember the last few hours. This place was getting to me and I was going to find out exactly what was going on in the Hotel Cortez, one way or another.

**

“YOU UTTER ANIMALS!” Loki shrieks, throwing a bottle of gin at Steve because he's closer. “She was injured when I found her!”

“I didn't leave her damaged,” Natasha shrugs. “She enjoyed what I did to her.”

“So that's two more down,” Tony clasps his hands in glee.

“One more,” Natasha corrects him. “I wouldn't let Steve. He's been a misery today.”

“My dear,” Tony swallows the angry retort he wants to make. “My dear, the deal is _everyone_ has to seduce her. If Steve hasn't done that by the time the week is up then she'll get to leave.”

“Oh I'd say Steve has done something to her alright. The marks on her neck, the cut on her shoulder,” Loki's being held back by Bucky. “You've already had her and you made it hurt, you sick bastard! I recognised your handiwork on her body.”

Natasha stiffens, looking to Steve who's vehemently shaking his head and denying it. He's gone a little pale too.

“Did you disobey me, Steve?” she asks silkily.

“I....I....” Steve stammers.

“Well don't be mad at the poor boy,” Tony laughs. “This just means we're three for four. Thank goodness, I thought the odds were tipping in her favour then. Can't have her strolling out and remembering what's happened.”

“You little shit,” Natasha grabs Steve by the cheeks tightly. “I think you like acting up so I'll punish you. Believe me, you'll pay a price for drinking from her without letting me do it first. You think I'm cruel now? You haven't seen anything yet.”

“As amusing as this, this just leaves me,” Tony straightens his waistcoat. “By tomorrow, we'll have our newest resident.”

“I'm joining the game,” Loki declares suddenly.

“No you're not. You'll just refuse to play.”

“I'll play. You can kill me if I don't,” Loki stands tall.

“You're up to something, my love,” Natasha stares at her.

“If I'm up to something you'll be getting two new residents or do you not think you stand a chance with five attempts rather than four?”

“Very well,” Tony holds out a hand and they shake on it. “But we _will_ eviscerate you if you don't comply, Loki. Miss Potts will be ever so keen to clean that mess up. She does love her bleach.”

“Good. Then have your wretched drinks and leave me alone so I can prepare,” Loki goes behind the bar and starts getting to work.

If it bought you more time she'd play along but she was going to get you out by any means necessary, even if it killed her.


	4. Tony's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tony finally makes his move

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Murder, torture references, violent smut, S&M
> 
> (Possible proof reading errors)
> 
> \- NB xx

It took a while of knocking on the door before I finally got up.

It'd been hard to fall asleep whilst I was racking my brains trying to figure out how I ended up on the floor. Those missing few hours were really plaguing me.

I'd never had problems with my memory before but twice now I'd forgotten large chunks of time. Was it the drinking? Did I need to stop?

I dragged myself out of the covers and opened the door to see Sam's concerned face.

“Hey you,” he relaxes a little. “I was worried when you didn't show for breakfast. You took a real hard hit to the head. Thought I'd check on you.”

“I'm fine, just slept longer than I meant to. What time is it?”

“Little after ten. You still up for the buffet? It's on until eleven.”

“Yeah, just gimme a minute to change,” I smile. “Come in, I'll change in the bathroom. I kinda hate hanging around in the hallways in this place.”

“I appreciate it,” he nods. “I feel it too. Kinda like someone's watching you. I keep getting shivers up my spine. Is that crazy?”

“No, I get that too,” I grab an armful of clothes and head into the bathroom, pulling myself together.

“I shouldn't have come here, to the hotel but there was just something about it. I had to know more. Stupid, right?” he continues.

“Remember who are you talking to,” I laugh, coming out again. “I'm the idiot doing a travel piece on this place. Gimme a minute to put my face on for the day.”

“You don't have to, you know. You don't need it.”

I've always found guys who say women don't need make-up to either be angling for something or they think it's what I want to hear. I didn't get either impression from Sam. It was just said so matter of factly.

“Alright then but my morning face might kill the old lady in the buffet area out of sheer fright,” I start walking down with him.

“Oh she's not dying any time soon. She looks like she's been around since the Civil War,” Sam jokes. “Come on, let's take the stairs today. I think you've had enough of elevators after last night. Do you need to take my arm to steady yourself?”

“Actually yeah. I'm a little bit off balance today.”

He graciously helps me to the lower floor and just before we go into the buffet, his head whips around so fast I was half expecting there to be some kind of danger out there. He's stopped completely, his eyes wide and he mutters a word I just about catch.

“Baby?”

“Are you okay?” I nudge him slightly and he blinks.

“I'm sorry, I just...I thought I saw....”

“What?”

“Doesn't matter.”

Sam's shut down on me and I can see his good mood has just evaporated. If anything he seems haunted right now.

“Talk to me, Sam. You don't look alright.”

“I...uh....can I sit down first?”

“Sure.”

I grab him some coffee which he clings to like a lifeline. I settle next to him and wait patiently until he's ready to speak.

“I thought I saw my wife,” he sighs. “My ex-wife I should say. It wasn't my choice, the divorce, I was trying to win her back when she went missing around this hotel. I searched for so long but I never found her. I swear I just saw her walking into the lobby but when I looked....hell, I don't know what's wrong with me. I feel like I'm seeing things.”

“I'm sorry. I think maybe you want to see her so your brain creates the image? Doesn't mean you're going crazy. It just means you're grieving still.”

“Maybe,” he swirls the coffee mug before swilling some down. “I shouldn't have come back here. It's only bringing up bad memories but I just wanted to be close to her somehow and the house felt so...big all of a sudden.”

“Hey, it's alright,” I put my hand over his. “I know I'm a stranger but as long as I stay here, you get any more bad turns, come talk to me.”

“I don't want to impose. You're trying to work here.”

“I mean it, Sam.”

“Alright then,” he smiles shyly. “Thank you. I feel like I'm saying that a lot.”

“Buy me a drink later and we'll call it even.”

“You're on,” he shakes my hand. “I think I'm clawing back my appetite. Pancake eating competition?”

“You're about to have your ass whooped, Mr Wilson,” I laugh.

Suffice it to say, I talked a better game than I could deliver. Sam beat me easily. I had fun trying though.

His phone went off and that was the end of our morning conversation. He was apologetic but hey, work came first.

“This was really nice though,” he puts on his jacket. “And let me give you my card. If you feel off at any point, you call me. I'm still worried you got a concussion there.”

“I will, thank you.”

I decide to go back to my room to properly freshen up for the day. I still have to make use of the pool that's in the back so I want to fetch my swimming gear.

When I got in, I was surprised to find someone cleaning it. They were obsessively straightening out the new bedsheets to make them completely crease free.

“Oh I'm sorry. I didn't realise turn down service started now,” I'm about to back out.

“Don't worry yourself, my dear,” she turns around, strawberry blonde hair pinned up meticulously. “I'm almost done. It's so nice to finally meet you. Mr Stark has been ever so complimentary.”

“Mr....Stark? Who's that?”

“The owner of the hotel, poppet,” she smiles brightly at me, smoothing down her apron. “Oh where are my manners, I'm Miss Potts.”

She shakes my hand very enthusiastically before pointing to my unclean clothes in a pile on the chair, “Would you like me to have those laundered for you, miss?”

“I didn't realise there was a service for that but yeah that would be lovely.”

“Very good,” she's beaming, gathering up the pile. “I'll have them delivered to the new room. Mr Banner told me you're switching around. “

“Thank you.”

Before I can ask who Mr Stark is again, she's already bustling out looking absolutely delighted. She must love her job.

I just take my swimming outfit and a towel before heading to the pool. It's quiet when I step in, the water pleasantly still and no one around. Seems I have it all to myself. I've never felt so decadent.

I change in one of the little booths before sliding into the warm water and doing a few laps. It's so peaceful that I just end up floating on the surface, splayed out and listening to the silence. It was washing away the stress of being in this place.

I stayed like that for a long while before I suddenly felt something bump my toes. I jerked up, looking around me but I saw nothing. The water was so clear, nothing could possibly have touched me without me seeing.

After a few moments to gather myself, I settle back, doing a few strokes before something definitely grabs my ankle and I yelp, kicking out. Again, nothing in the water and I'm thinking back to what Sam said about his ex-wife and maybe I was just cracking up a little bit.

I decide if something happens again, I'm getting the hell out of the pool but I lay back, floating there again and I don't feel anything. Relaxing further, I close my eyes and just think about my next story piece.

Natasha and Steve must've been a bust when I didn't show up to the bar so I'd have to try and rearrange that. Maybe Bruce might talk to me but that was a long shot. He wasn't really the chatty type.

When something bumped into my side, I opened my eyes and screamed when I saw the sight around me.

Bodies.

Bodies floating around me. Their bloated faces were barely recognisable, puffy and discoloured. The eyes were milky, sightless but it seemed like they were staring right at me.

I whirled around but everywhere I looked, more corpses were bobbing in the water and I couldn't get out without pushing them aside. My chest clenched and I fought the urge not to panic and scream because I might inhale some of the water that was a soup of decay.

Just as I was figuring out what to do, the lights overhead flickered and died plunging me into total darkness and only the lapping water could be heard. My fear rose as I remained as still as I could so nothing could touch me and yelled out.

“HELP ME! HELP!”

The lights flared back on, blinding me for a moment and when spots stopped dancing in my vision, I saw I was completely alone, the water was clear and there was no hint of any bodies in the pool.

I swam to the ladder immediately, throwing my clothes on over my wet one piece and just about slammed into Bruce who'd come into the doorway.

“What the hell are you doing in here?” he looks at me strangely.

“I was just swimming and I...never mind. I'm sorry for shouting.”

“Swimming? How were you swimming? Through the air?” he points to the pool.

I look around and see...

“That's not possible,” I breathe.

The pool was devoid of water. In the bottom were a few bits of decorating equipment and some leaves that had blown in through the windows outside.

“I think you hit your head too hard last night,” Bruce shakes his head. “Come on. I'll get you the new key. Miss Potts has already moved your stuff into the new room. “

“But I'm....” I try to protest but I'm not even damp.

I'm completely dry.

“You're what?”

“Never mind. I think I need to lie down.”

“Yeah you do,” he sighs.

I follow him to the reception desk before he gives me a shiny new key. I take it, stuffing it into my pocket but I feel reluctant to leave. The spectre of those corpses was still fresh in my mind.

“Something else you need?” Bruce leans his head on one hand.

“Just...thank you for coming to help last night. I know you don't particularly like me.”

“Honey, I don't dislike you. I'm just tired of being scenery here and cleaning up other people's problems. Nothing personal but I appreciate the thanks.”

Bruce's demeanour is instantly warmer and I wonder if he's just hostile because no one pays attention to him. I make a mental note to interact with him more in the future.

“Thanks for the key, Bruce.”

“Don't mention it,” he waves me away. “You need any aspirin later, call down here, okay?”

“I will.”

I move back up to the mezzanine and see Loki there buffing the bar area. She looks quite angry, stubbornly rubbing at a spot.

“Hey,” I call out so I don't startle her by just appearing.

“What? Oh hello, darling,” her expression becomes softer. “How are you today? Head any better?”

“Yeah, doesn't hurt at all,” I sit down on the bar stool. “Are you alright? You seem tense.”

“Management issues,” is all she elaborates on. “Mr Stark needs to realise I'm not at his beck and call for everything.”

“The maid mentioned Mr Stark too. Is he the owner? Like the grandson of the guy in that painting over there?”

“Something like that,” she sprays the counter before vigorously attacking the stain again. “Anyway, you don't want to hear about my staff troubles. Can I get you anything, my darling?”

“It's early but I need it,” I nod. “I'm sure I just blacked out and hallucinated downstairs.”

“Oh?” she starts making my usual. “Tell me about it.”

“You'll just think I'm crazy.”

“Promise I won't,” she smiles genuinely. “I've heard a lot of things in my time.”

“Will you tell me them?”

“Someday but not today,” she sets the glass down in front of me. “For now, tell me what's on your mind, my love.”

“I just...I thought the pool was filled and I must have imagined I was swimming in it but that's impossible when it looks like it's been out of commission for months.”

“Strange things happen in this hotel,” Loki suddenly becomes quite serious, her perfect eyebrows knitting together. “I wouldn't discount anything you've seen. I've seen strange things also. That detective, Mr Wilson, he's seen them too. Just be careful. You'll do that for me, won't you?”

“Is it really haunted like Natasha says?”

“I believe so and I'm not one to believe in superstition. I came from a very practical family. They didn't like fanciful ideas.”

There's a brief flash of sadness on her face and I got the impression her old home life was very tough. I didn't ask anything because I didn't want to upset her.

“A haunted pool. That's novel at least,” I joke.

“Certainly a new tale. Now tell me, will you come back down here tonight in one of those outrageous gowns the Tsarina bought you? We can be glamorous together,” Loki grins.

“Maybe I can attract more people to give me stories if I look pretty.”

“Darling, you're always pretty. Behave yourself,” she taps me on the face with a napkin. “If you come down in another dress like yesterday I'll be shooing men and women away from you with the seltzer water.”

“You think I'd need defending that much?”

“No, I'd just be eliminating the competition,” she laughs. “So what do you plan to do with your day?”

“Rest for once. After the pool I think I just need to lie down for a while. I can always find Natasha and Steve another time for their stories.”

“And what about my story?” a voice says from behind me that was full of someone who knew how to charm anybody.

I turn and do a double take to see a man who looked exactly like the painting across the mezzanine. He must have caught my shock because he smiles crookedly.

“Uncanny, right? Tony Stark, my family built this hotel,” he shakes my hand. “Loki, my dear, would you fetch some scotch for me please?”

“Of course, Mr Stark,” Loki answers, a little stiffly.

“Tony, please. We're past formalities,” he waves the title away before sitting next to me. “And you, sweetheart. I've seen you around the past couple of days. Are you enjoying your stay here?”

“It's certainly interesting,” I say with absolutely honesty. “Are you the architect's grandson?”

“Oh something like that,” Tony answers cryptically before moving the subject on. “You're collecting stories, yes? How about the infamous legend of the murder hotel? Now _that's_ a humdinger!”

“Murder...you mean _here_?” my attention has turned up to eleven now.

“In the 1930s, yes. Quite a bit of history in this place. What room are you in currently?”

“Uh...64,” I check the key. “I think the detective was in there previously.”

“Yes he was. Very high strung fellow. Now room 64 is _very_ interesting indeed. If you'll allow me to show you back there, I know of a hidden passageway. There are a great number of secret rooms and tunnels in this place. Would you find that interesting?”

“Yeah!” the childish delight at the thought of a room behind a bookcase or something coming forth. “Would I be able to take pictures, Mr Stark?”

“Tony, please. Of course you may. Whenever you're ready to go, we'll go. Don't worry, I'll have you back with dear Loki for the evening.”

“I'll see you tonight then,” I drain my glass, looking at Loki who had her arms folded.

Clearly she didn't like Tony.

“See you tonight, my darling,” she replies before leaning forward and whispering something to Tony who just laughs and gets up.

“Such a mother hen,” he shakes his head. “Come along now. Room 64 awaits!”

Tony holds out the crook of his arm for me to take and I'm struck by how old fashioned the gesture is. Nonetheless, I indulge him, keen to hear about these historic murders that have taken place.

“If I may?” he holds out his hand for the key when we're at the room and I pass it over so he can unlock the door.

Miss Potts is in there, cleaning almost fervently. Did she ever take a break?

“Ahem,” Tony says loudly and she jumps, duster flailing as she does so. “Miss Potts, would you kindly leave this lady and I in private so I can regale her with the 1930s murders?”

“Oh, of course Mr Stark,” she fawns.

It was highly obvious she was in love with the descendant of the owner but he didn't appear to give her a backwards glance as she left. Perhaps he was oblivious?

“Now, do you have your equipment?” he turns to me in glee, shedding his jacket and placing it on the back of the chair in the room.

“I do.”

I notice he's got the same sleeve garters as the painting. Was it a stylistic choice? Was he emulating his ancestor? It was quite high brow for sure and I'm reminded once again that I'm of a distinctly lower economic bracket.

“Then let's begin our tour,” he rubs his hands together before twisting two of the bulbs on the wall mounted lamp and depressing the bracket.

A door pops open from the wallpaper that I never would've noticed and he ducks down to go through. I follow with my phone, video recording, feeling like I was in an Agatha Christie book.

In we go and it's a rough wooden corridor that has little light but Tony seems to know exactly where he's going. He must've walked it many times before. He doesn't say anything but I wouldn't probably listen anyway when I'm trying to watch my step.

We come out into an office that looks like it's not been touched in decades. A rotary phone, a typewriter, a banker's lamp, a globe containing a drinks cabinet.

“This is the office of Anthony Stark,” Tony gestures around himself. “Architect of the Hotel Cortez and...serial killer.”

“Serial killer? I wonder why he's not more widely known.”

I swear Tony's jaw twitches just a tad at that, “Fame is fickle, young lady. Perhaps you can help with that aspect? I would hate for someone like Lizzie Borden to overshadow Anthony Stark when he achieved so much more. See here.”

He grabs two rolled up pieces of paper and spreads them out, “This is the original plan for the Cortez. A nice and simple hotel design of its time. The one under this? The secret plans which included the tunnels, the hidden rooms and the hallways to nowhere. There's an entire floor that's sealed off.”

“Why would someone go to all of this effort? Is it like the Winchester house? To confuse spirits?”

“Oh no, sweetheart. This was for Mr Stark to kill people effectively.”

The way he said it made a prickle go up my spine. It was a little too gleeful but hey, murder enthusiasts are everywhere but they'd never actually commit the act, right?

“Would you like me to show you the rooms?”

“Please.”

“Then I shall be your guide,” he does a little bow. “Through here.”

And this time we _do_ go through a bookcase which links onto a staircase. Tony takes my hand to help me.

“This is the floor to nowhere,” he announces when we come out again. “Try the doors.”

I humour him, going to the first one but I note there's no hinges at all. When I examine some more, it's the same story. These were all just decorative wood panels and not actually doors, even though they were numbered like hotel rooms.

“To induce fear,” Tony tells me. “A victim will run down this corridor believing they can hide but everything is walled off. Down at the far end, there's a window that has a fake skyline outside that brightens and dims with lamps. Quite ingenious really. The person starves on this floor and there were peepholes so Mr Stark could watch the progress.”

“Oh my god, that's horrific,” I stare at the fake sunny scene outside the fake window. “But that's not all right?”

“That's just the start. Come,” he waves me back and we go back up the stairs to the office again.

Through another door we come out to a more high brow hallway. These doors have hinges.

“Gas chamber,” Tony lists as we pass. “Victims walled up inside rooms, trapdoors in the bathrooms that drop down to the basement, torture rooms, down to the left is a crematorium where he burned victims alive. To the right, the lye room to dissolve victims in vats. Try to go up those stairs, my dear.”

I did as he asked, going up the stairs in the middle of the corridor and walked until I suddenly hit something solid. The rest of the stairs were painted on and painted on extremely well.

“Stairs to nowhere,” Tony grins. “That entrance we came through is the only one you can exit though. Most of these doors only open one way as well.”

“This is...how did no one pick up on all these strange rooms when building it?” I walk back down.

“By hiring and firing contractors and builders regularly. It's really quite smart, if I do say so myself. I would take you to the basement where he did the bulk of the torturing but they converted it into the pool room.”

The pool room...

Maybe this place really _was_ haunted and I'd seen Anthony Stark's victims down there. I didn't believe in anything paranormal but every belief I'd ever held was being challenged here. I might have not trusted my own eyes, thought I was just cracking up but Sam was seeing things and Loki confirmed she'd seen things too and Loki, as far as I was aware, had no reason to be hallucinating this sort of thing. Sam was stressed so I could maybe excuse that.

“Have you seen them?” Tony whispers, much closer to me than I remember him being. “The ghosts?”

“How did you-”

“-I know that face, sweetheart. I see them all the time. Most are harmless. Some are....ruthless,” his expression is unreadable. “It's a big thing to process but it's true. You can't commit so much atrocity and not have it leave an echo.”

“You sound like you're almost in awe,” I look over my shoulder at him.

“One can appreciate horrors for what they are. Don't they have television channels just for murderers?”

“I guess. I mean this is _very_ impressive, killings aside. Ingenious trap systems, complicated architecture, high levels of deception and I would think inventive ways to dispose of bodies...”

I could've sworn Tony's eyes glittered but that may be the low lamplight.

“Let me show you the last room. It's Mr Stark's private chamber.”

I didn't expect to be going through a trapdoor in the floor and down a ladder but the final place we ended up in looked like it would belong in a high brow fetish dungeon. Crosses with cuffs attached, manacles on the wall, a four poster bed with stocks at the end, a back wall of canes and crops and another shelf of sharp objects that I really didn't want to look at for too long.

“I think you expected this,” Tony watches me. “A serial killer who's also a sadist in his private life?”

“Sounds like Anthony Stark wanted control over everyone in his life, anyone that came across his path. Their bodies, their desires, their lives. Did anyone ever get away?”

“His wife. In fact, she ratted him out to the police. That's how he got caught. He shouldn't have trusted her but she had a hold over him unlike anyone he'd ever met. She enjoyed his depravity, joined in with it and then betrayed him when he threatened to cut off her allowances for forcibly preventing herself from having our child.”

“She... _our_?” I catch the change in tense.

“Their. Apologies, I get very into the character when I'm giving tours,” Tony brushes it off with a laugh. “Amazing, isn't it? To think of how many people have died here. He never kept a record but they estimate around two hundred souls.”

“Did he kill any in here?”

“Several.”

The hairs on my arm prickled as a chill swept through me. I didn't even realise I was moving through the chamber until I was suddenly at the stocks and I was running my hand along the top, wondering what had happened to the people in here. How much blood had seeped into the Hotel Cortez?

Two hundred people...no wonder I was seeing things.

“I know you find Mr Stark's actions abhorrent but I can see the fascination. Do you think this would be a good story for you?” Tony draws level.

“Definitely. People pay a lot of money to stay in a place with a horrible backstory. You could market this to ghost hunters, mediums...it's a lot of potential to bring in business, new customers.”

“New people? That sounds wonderful. I encourage you to write it and leave no detail spared. I can help you with the finesse of it. I'm just giving you the general overview here.”

“I would appreciate it.”

I'm still tracing my fingers over the stocks. I can't even properly comprehend the murder of that many people.

“Curious about that?” Tony nods. “Let me walk you through a scenario Mr Stark did. Once there was a housemaid who saw everything. Well, he couldn't let her go, could he? She offered him sexual favours in return for her life and he humoured her, brought her down here. He put her in these stocks, drew up her skirts and fucked her and when he was done, she thought she would be set free. No...no that's not what happened though. He took this knife off of the wall-”

Tony crosses to the shelf and draws a filleting knife before returning.

“-And returned and started running it along her body and asking what else she would do in return for her life. Oh the things she tried to offer, the first being indentured servitude, being a sex slave and again, he led her to believe he' accepted this. Whilst he was fucking her for the second time, when he got close to his end, he slit her throat and emptied himself whilst feeling her dying throes. The way her cunt pulsed around me was just...heavenly.”

Okay, this was getting too much now and I backed away a little bit, “Around _you_?”

“Natasha was furious of course, but not like she was attending to my needs at the time. My dear wife was very cold towards me sometimes.”

“Natasha....”

“You've met her already and her new flavour of the month. Don't you remember her telling you how old she was?”

It came flooding back in a burst. Vampires. Natasha and Steve were vampires and if Natasha was married to the original owner of the Cortez...

“You're not the grandson. You're Anthony Stark himself,” I back further away.

“We got there in the end,” Tony grins, whirling around. “But please, only my father called me Anthony and I hated my father. Now what are you going to do now, sweetheart? You know who I am, you're all alone down here with a dangerous man.”

“You're not going to kill me if you want your story to be published.”

“You could publish it from here. If you die on the grounds of the Cortez-”

“-you can never leave,” more memories come flooding back. “Why do you want me here? What's special about me?”

“Everything, my dear. You have the potential to fill this hotel and I know a corruptible soul when I see one. You enjoyed my wife and her toy, didn't you? You would've enjoyed the sad musician if he hadn't bungled his seduction attempt, correct? You'll enjoy me as well. You look like a woman who enjoys a little danger.”

I manage to dodge around him, grabbing for one of his knives and brandishing it. He looks at me for a second before bursting into laughter.

“Oh you're far too precious, sweetheart. Go on, I dare you,” he throws his own knife on the floor.

I don't even hesitate, I just run to the ladder but he's on a path to intercept me and I turn on my heels, slamming the knife into Tony's stomach. I don't even know if it is going to work but it seems to sink into...something.   
He just grabs my wrist with one hand and my throat with the other. My air is cut off for a moment as he yanks me close, so close that his lips are an inch away.

“I didn't think you'd do it,” Tony chuckles. “Tell me, how did it feel? Answer honestly and I might let you live once I'm done with you.”

“I don't trust a word from you,” I hiss. “Not after what you told me.”

“Very good. I like a woman with a brain,” he presses me backwards so I have to walk or fall over.

Back we go until my legs hit something and my feet come out from under me. I look away from Tony for a split second to see I'm lying on some kind of bench that has straps underneath. When I look back, Tony is leaning over me and he grips my hands to stop me from hitting him. The knife is still in his stomach, the handle digging back into my own flesh as he's above me.

“So what are you going to do with me, Mr Stark?” I'm trying to keep my breathing steady.

I'm banking on the fact he doesn't want to kill me just yet because not every one of the residents had approached me, surely? Bruce hadn't, Loki....god I hoped Loki wasn't in on this. I didn't believe she would be given her reactions but I couldn't rule it out completely.

“I'm going to ruin you,” his lips ghost over my cheek. “I'm going to absolutely ruin you and you're going to love me for it.”

“Am I?” I glare.

“You've proved you're capable of murder when it comes down to it. Most would've just run or tried to barter their way out. You're special, my dear. So so special.”

He lifts off, taking out the knife and using it to slit my clothing apart. I stay deadly still so the blade doesn't nick my skin. He peels off the scraps with a delicacy that made me on edge. I was just waiting for the explosion of pain that was sure to come.

Once I'm naked, he clutches my neck again, dragging me upright to my feet and strokes the blade of the knife down the crevice between my breasts, feather light.

“I can hear your heart beating if I concentrate,” he whispers. “So fast. You're terrified but you're not crying, you're not breaking down. In another time, when I was alive, we could've been great together.”

“I'm not like you.”

“I know. For now. In time you will be,” the knife traces down my ribcage. “I wonder if this excites you. Let me...”

“Don't you dare,” I snarl as he flings the knife away and his fingers try to pry my legs open.

“Oh I dare and you can't stop me,” he laughs before managing to delve between and I cringe inside when his fingers skate easily there. “So you _do_ like danger...or maybe you like a firm hand. Someone to tell you what to do.”

“Fuck you,” I struggle against him and he squeezes his other hand and I'm being choked.

“That's the idea. Hmmm maybe it's the back and forth you like, pretending you're not enjoying this, pretending you don't want me to tie you down and hurt you. Now _there's_ an idea but first, a man likes to start his afternoon with a kiss. What do you say?”

I don't get a choice and his lips meet mine. At least I can breathe now.

A thousand thoughts ran through my head about how to respond but my body started doing that for me when I felt myself growing slick, when my hips started rolling to get friction from his hand ever so slightly.

“You're already starting to bend to me,” Tony whispers in my ear. “I can feel it. You understand this is not usual for me to ask but will you let me? Will you let me destroy you and rebuild you?”

“No,” I say stubbornly.

“Fiery,” his lip curls into a smirk. “Not enough if I keep doing this?”

Of course his hands would be deft and agile if he spent long hours building this place. I was beginning to lose my grip on my composure whilst I was held there and toyed with. I was sure he could see it in my eyes.

“I won't let you cum until you agree. I've got hours, sweetheart. Do you think you can last hours? I've studied human responses for years so I'll be able to tell where the edge is before you tip over it and....ah there it is.”

I could feel the burning need just vanish as his fingers withdrew and the tensing pressure just dissipated, leaving me gasping around his hand that wasn't even squeezing any more. Then he started again and again and I tried so hard not to give him an ounce of satisfaction but that only encouraged him more. He was feeding off of my defiance and I was losing my sense of fear and my sense of dignity.

I caught my lips parting in pants and Tony bit my bottom lip gently, growling and that nearly broke me.

“So long, you're holding on for so long. You're just so _fascinating_ ,” he licks along where he's bit.

After a few more times, I didn't care any more. If he was going to kill me, I couldn't do anything about it.

“Tell me, sweetheart. I know you've reached that point.”

“I need to cum,” I whimper.

“I know you do. Let me have you. Say it.”

“Yes.”

And I went weak as the orgasm ripped through me. My knees nearly buckled but he kept me upright, watching my face avidly.

“I knew I'd picked well when I saw you,” he turns me around, pushing me so I lay over the bench with my chest flush to it before he starts shackling me in place.

I should be afraid, I should be screaming but I'm too drunk on the afterglow. Vulnerable, spread out and tied down, I didn't give a shit.

“I want to own you, mark you, make you mine,” Tony says as he runs his mouth up my inner thigh before biting at the soft skin there and making me yelp. “And I want to taste you but first...”

He's moved away and I can't see where he's gone but I definitely know when he returns because something whistles and pain explodes across my back in tiny bursts. A soothing hand and then another strike. I can feel my skin tingling.

“I love the sounds you make in pleasure _and_ pain. Delightful.”

Something warm and wet along my sensitive pussy and I realise he's buried his tongue deep in me, savouring me before he's working me towards another orgasm again. The obscene sounds he's making are driving me there faster and I'm half screaming the next time the pleasure slams into me.

“As much as I'd love to fuck you on this, I wouldn't be able to see your pretty eyes,” he releases me and pulls me up, slinging me over his shoulder. “So the bed it is. Boring, perhaps but you, my dear, are anything but.”

I'm dumped on the bed and he's shedding his clothes before climbing on top of me and far from making it easy for him, I fight back. I resist. We grapple for a while before he manages to get his body in between my legs and he sheathes his cock in me, making me arch.

“As I thought. You like the illusion of resisting,” he chuckles before I punch him across the face and then his chuckles turn to laughter. “Oh yes, you and I could've gone very far. You should have been my wife instead.”

“Fuck me if you're going to fuck me,” I challenge and he obliges.

It become messy, a battle for control as he ruts brutally hard all whilst trying to pin me down but I'm thrashing, flailing and lashing out at him. From the manic glint in his eye, he's enthralled with this turn of events.

The kiss we share is harsh, aggressive and he's leaving his marks on me with bruising fingertips.

“One step closer to keeping you here forever,” Tony grabs my hair by the root before groaning heavily.

He pushed as deep as he could, spilling into me before hungrily kissing me.

“Loki had better keep up her end of the deal because I want you. Oh fuck, I want you. I want you by my side. We could have a beautiful afterlife.”

“I'm not ready to die,” I pant, trying to regain my composure.

“Nobody is. Such is the way of things. If I let you live, you'll age but you could live here as you are for an eternity. We'll see soon enough. Let's get you reclothed. You have an appointment at the bar. Oh and...you won't remember this. The tour yes but not this part. Next time I take you it'll be like the first time all over again, only this time, I know how deep the depravity runs. I'll see you very soon, sweetheart.”

I don't remember when I passed out.

**

“Now it's up to you, Loki,” Tony says when he joins everyone at the bar.

“Was it what you wanted?” Natasha purrs, patting Steve's leg where he winces, the bruises of his punishment still raw.

“Everything and more. She is a very special woman,” Tony flops in one of the armchairs. “I won't forget that for a long time.”

“We all won't,” Bucky knocks back some rum. “There's something about her...”

“Even I felt that,” Natasha nods her agreement. “And I'm hard to please.”

“Are you quite done?” Loki spits acidly. “Or do I have to listen to this much longer?”

“Don't be so sensitive,” Natasha tries to take her hand but she withdraws it quickly. “You'll be the last person she spends her final breaths with. Since you seem to be so sweet on her it only seems fitting.”

“Easy there, my dear,” Tony wags a finger. “I could kill her now.”

“Why don't you go play with your detective and leave her alone?” Loki comes around the bar in a fury. “You'll corrupt her and destroy everything that was good about her. Every ghost goes mad here.”

“I gotta say, I'm agreeing with Loki here,” Bruce starts sweeping around the counter. “Those two Swedish broads you offed ended up going stir crazy and Miss Potts can't clean that many rooms when they wreck them.”

“A deal is a deal, sweetheart,” Tony's tone becomes firmer. “Bruce, you can zip it. Loki, if you don't seduce her, I'll kill you instead. I already made that clear. I'll still kill her though. If she resists you, she's free to go. You have two days.”

“Fine. You wretched beasts. Get out of my fucking bar before she comes down.”

“Awfully touchy tonight,” Steve remarks and gets soda water sprayed in his face. “Hey!”

“Come on, my loves. Loki has her claws out tonight,” Natasha giggles before her, Steve, Bucky and Tony return to their rooms.

“I can't believe this is happening,” Loki leans forward, resting her head on the bar.

“Oh get up you skinny bitch,” Bruce whacks her on the shoulder. “Look, I get it now. The girl is nice. She made an effort with me today and I really felt seen. I'll help you get her out but we need to be smart about this or we'll both end up here permanently.”

“The detective,” Loki stands up again, smoothing her hair out. “We can use him to get her out without pointing the blame at us.”

“Not half bad. I'll go talk to him though. If they see you tryna weasel outta this, you've had it. Now we just gotta pray they've not sent him round the twist first.”

“He's still clinging on from what I saw this morning.”

“Good.”

“Evening,” you call, stood there a little shyly in a knee length couture dress of deep green. “I feel a little overdressed but I'm here.”

“And you look astonishing, darling,” Loki preens, desperately trying not to focus on the bruises along your neck that she was sure Tony had manipulated you into not seeing before you came down.

When she looked to Bruce, he had the same expression of anger on his face and the two of them knew then and there it was all or nothing in the next two days.

“Can I join you?” you ask.

“Both of us?” Bruce seems a bit bewildered.

“Well yeah, I'd like to know more about you both if that's okay?”

“Of course, my love. We'll have a nice cosy time, just the three of us,” Loki gives a warm smile.

“Loki?” Bruce whispers before you can sit next to him. “I'm in. We're getting her out.”

“Yes we are,” Loki replies with absolute conviction.


	5. Bruce & Sam's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Hotel Cortez is taking its toll on you and Sam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay! I just wrote all my stuff for Kinktober 2020 but back to the story now!
> 
> Warnings: Horror, Non-Con, Trauma
> 
> Happy reading!  
> \- NB xx

I had a lot of fun with Loki and Bruce that night.

Once Bruce opened up, he was actually a pretty funny guy. Loki and I were in stitches with his impression of two stuck up hipsters tourists who'd demanded pâté and didn't realise he'd served them cat food instead.

“So what's your story, Bruce?” I ask after a few more drinks. “How did you come to work here?”

“Oh you don't want to hear about me,” he sloppily waves the question away. “Nobody ever wants to hear about me.”

“I do,” I point at him. “So spill, Banner.”

“Wellllll okay,” he gets a little shy and Loki just chuckles before picking at some bar snacks. “You're gonna think this is super weird but Steve is actually my half-brother. I came here originally because Dad wanted him to come home. He'd sold all of our valuables to come see his boyfriend here where they'd do all kinds of drugs. Didn't turn out so well. While I was trying to convince Steve to come back, Dad died. I'd already lost my mom some time before that and Steve's mom....well she'd disowned him a long time ago and left Dad on his own. She couldn't handle all the cops coming round at all hours and destroying her reputation in the neighbourhood.”

“Shit, I'm so sorry,” I pat his shoulder and he doesn't cringe away like I expected him to.

“Part a' life, honey. People die,” he shrugs. “Most of the money got left to Steve but he wasted it on more drugs and Tony saw me coming in all the time and offered me a home here after the bank repossessed Dad's. Been working here ever since.”

“You and Steve are the most unlikely brothers I've ever seen,” I remark.

“And he still doesn't give a shit about me. He's useless,” Bruce shakes his head. “I'm sure you've seen how angry he gets still, even with Natasha.”

“Yeah he was raging when she was flirting with me.”

“He doesn't like being second best, never has done. I've got a science degree you know, had to give up everything to help him because he was the precious son.”

“I'm really sorry Bruce. What a shitbag.”

“That's the polite term for him,” Loki adds. “Another drink everyone?”

By now I was quite drunk and eagerly nodding. Loki didn't open up particularly but she made fantastic remarks as Bruce and I prattled on about everything.

There was a shout that broke the reverie and Sam came stumbling out of the nearby corridor like he'd been running away from something. He seemed absolutely terrified.

“Sam! Are you alright?!” I run towards him, catching him as he almost falls over. “What's wrong?!”

“It's her, she's here, I saw her,” he clutches onto me fervently. “It's Wanda.”

“Wanda who? Is that your ex-wife?”

“I saw her, clear as day and I...oh god, what is happening to me?” he's shaking.

“It's okay, come on, let's get you to the bar,” I help him walk until I get him in one of the armchairs with Bruce's help.

“Tell me what's going on?” I squat in front of him, trying to keep his gaze which was darting about all over the place.

“Wanda, I saw her. She was wearing that fuzzy red sweater like she always used to when she said it got too cold in the house and she saw me and walked away. I followed her but..I don't know, she just ran at me. I don't know what is going on.”

“Were you dreaming? It's quite late.”

“I don't know, I just...I don't know.”

“Here, get this down you,” Loki hands over a stiff drink and Sam knocks it back immediately.

“I'm gonna call it a night here guys,” I announce. “I'll get him back to his room.”

“You need any help?” Bruce offers.

“I'll be okay. Thanks for the nice evening,” I smile at them.

“Be careful with yourself, darling,” Loki nods.

“Come on, up you get,” I pull Sam to his feet and towards the corridor again. “If your ex is waiting, I'll tell her to stay still this time.”

That makes him laugh a little. He's a bit more receptive now, more sure footed and I take him to the room on his key, Room 51.

“No ex's in the corridor this time. I must be more scary,” I joke as he opens the door.

“No one could say you're scary,” Sam smiles a little. “Could you come in? I just need someone to be around whilst I calm down.”

“Sure.”

I sit on the chair in his room whilst he perches on the bed. He just seems to sag, weight collapsing onto the mattress.

“I'm sorry to interrupt your evening, by the way,” he starts. “The dress is beautiful. What happened to your neck? Looks sore.”

“My neck? What?” I turn around to look in the mirror and I do a double take.

When the hell had those bruises got there?! I hadn't noticed them when I had gotten ready but when I touched the skin gingerly it hurt like a bitch.

“I have no idea,” I look back in confusion. “I don't remember them being there before.”

“It's this hotel, I swear,” Sam puts his hands on his knees. “It's cursed. I keep seeing things and you keep getting injured.”

“I saw something too. I thought I went swimming in the pool and there were these bodies all around me and I got out and I could've sworn I was soaking wet but then Bruce, the receptionist found me and I was completely dry and the pool hadn't been used in months. That's crazy right?”

“No less crazy than what I've been seeing. I'm glad I'm not alone with this. Makes me less sure I'm not losing my mind completely.”

“Do you have to stay in this hotel?”

“I guess not, I just paid for it and it feels like wasting money. That sounds so dumb when I say it like that though,” he shakes his head. “I'll do one last day then I'm out. I can't take this any more.”

“I'm supposed to be here another two days but I've had enough too. I've never been this shook up in my life and there's just this feeling of dread I can't shake off. Almost like I'm scared to try to leave.”

“We'll walk out together,” Sam looks at me with determined eyes. “Deal?”

“Deal,” I nod. “Although I will be sad to leave Loki and Bruce, they were nice.”

“You can't risk your health over them though. Put yourself first.”

“I guess. I should probably sleep and then start packing in the morning. It'll take me a while to wake up I think. Drank a lot.”

“Sure you don't need me to help you back?”

“What if Wanda appears again when you're coming back alone? Nuh uh, Sam. You stay here. I'll be fine,” I stand up, swaying a little and he comes up to steady me.

“Straight to your room, y'hear?”

He walks me to the door before doing something I don't expect and hugging me tightly. It feels really nice, if I'm honest. I don't read anything into it though. He's obviously still deeply in love with his ex so I just take it as being friendly.

“Be safe. If you get into any trouble, you run back here and I'll sleep in the chair. No protests,” he kisses my forehead before watching me go to the staircase to ascend to the upper floor.

When I hit the next landing, Bucky is leant against the wall smoking near the window, peering out of it in distaste. He looks surprised to see me.

“Hey doll, you're up late.”

“Just been at the bar. Lost track of time,” I smile a little lazily.

“Not up for an even later night?” he loads the question.

“I gotta pack, I'm gonna be leaving tomorrow,” I call over my shoulder as I start walking to my room.

“Leaving?! What? Why?!”

“This place is just too weird for me. I don't feel comfortable. I'm going back to my apartment and taking some vacation time. I need to reset.”

“Hey hey!” he jogs to catch up with me. “But I like seeing you around here.”

“Bucky, I'm sick of seeing things that aren't really there,” I stop just outside the door. “It's scaring me. I don't like it here. Look at what it's doing to the detective as well. I don't know how you're so adjusted.”

“I'm not but it'd make me really sad if you left. I've never told my story to someone before. Don't go, doll,” he looks genuinely miserable.

“You can always come see me in a coffee shop or something. You don't _have_ to be in here all the time,” I wave at the corridor which throws me off balance and I stumble.

Bucky catches me but not before I burst into absolute giggles over nothing. I'm drunker than I thought.

He fumbles for my key before opening the door and he carries me in, since my legs are not co-operating. When he sets me down and my back is pressed against the wall, he hovers like he's going to kiss me. Maybe I'll let him. I'm just curious to see what he does, far beyond rational thought at this point. He's hesitating though, unsure and that's nice to see the gentleman streak in a former rock star.

“What are you waiting for?” I challenge.

“Don't do this to me,” he whispers, frowning. “I'm not supposed to. I...”

But I pull him by the lapels of his leather jacket and his resolve crumbles, kissing me like he might die if I let go. I got the strangest feeling I'd done this before, a huge sense of deja vu but I ignored it, just living in the moment.

“You're making this really difficult,” he pants. “You look fucking beautiful.”

“What's difficult about it?”

“You're drunk for one, second, I'm not...I can't....”

“I'll see you before I go then tomorrow,” I kiss him on the cheek. “I should probably...”

I've settled into the crook of his neck, just melting a little against the warmth of him and I really don't remember the point I drifted off. Bits and pieces come back to me in the form of Bucky carrying me to the bed, putting me under the covers and stroking my hair back.

“Good night doll.”

“Bucky? Write me a song sometime. Nobody's ever written a song about me before,” I remember saying.

“I'll write a whole album just about you. Just promise me you won't leave yet.”

“Maybe, I'll....think about it or something. I'm really....”

And I fell asleep again before I knew what his response would be.

**

Bucky left your room as quietly as he could, feeling the turmoil in his soul.

He'd nearly cracked, nearly disobeyed Tony's order....in fact he _had_ disobeyed Tony's order but he'd panicked when you were saying you were going to leave the hotel tomorrow. Didn't mean he didn't want you again, in a better way this time. He'd really messed up the first time.

But his loyalties to the Hotel Cortez were taking over and he ran to the lobby area where most of the residents were hanging around. Loki and Bruce had gone to sleep it seems.

“Where's the fire, Casper?” Steve flicks his gaze up.

“She's going to leave the hotel tomorrow. We have to keep her here until Loki can have her shot,” he blurts out.

Tony stands up immediately, “What do you mean she's going to leave?!”

“All your spook shit, it's too much. You did her over too hard and she's going to run. I see her speaking with that detective as well every morning. I bet they're both going to run.”

“Sam won't run,” Natasha glares. “Not again. Not if I call Wanda to come see him. I'm not losing this bet.”

“Well get her the fuck in line then,” Bucky snarls.

“She's difficult.”

“My dear, she's a product of your own making,” Tony rolls his eyes. “Or at least Steve's. If he'd just contained himself.”

“She was an experiment,” Steve hisses back. “I didn't know if I was able to turn people.”

“And now she's fucking raving mad,” Bucky claps sarcastically. “No wonder you have to keep her locked in the floor to nowhere when you just turned her and threw her out to fend for herself. That's why the detective came here the first time.”

“Alright enough!” Tony cuts through the building tension. “The first port of call is keeping our lady friend here so we can get on with this show. Now, I'm sure you've all noticed Loki and Bruce have done a fair amount of secret muttering in the past day so no doubt they're trying to find a way around this. If I were them, I'd use the detective to get her out because he's more likely to defend her against us so we have to get to the detective first.”

“Tony?” Natasha raises a gloved hand, drawing attention back to herself. “We need to ruin the bond of friendship between them. If she doesn't trust Sam ever again, she won't go with him. We need to make him an unsafe prospect.”

“So how will you do that?” Bucky asks.

“Oh I have an idea,” Tony grins. “And this time we won't be wiping her memory after it. Gather round, my fine fellows. This is the plan.”

**

I woke up the next morning with my mouth completely dry and still a little off balance. I'd half expected Sam to be knocking on my door for our breakfast catch up but he must still be asleep himself.

I dressed, tried to tame the hair that was everywhere and touched the greying bruises on my neck that were still tender. I wondered if I'd gotten them in the fall by the elevators and they'd just not shown up until now.

Still, if I was going to leave today and take some vacation time, no one would see me whilst they healed.

I went to Sam's room, knocking on the door but there was no answer. I tried the handle on the off chance and the door swung open so I tentatively crept in, the room still in semi-darkness.

“Sam?” I call out, closing the door behind me. “Sam, time to wake up.”

I can see his outline in the bed, the covers completely twisted like he'd had a nightmare recently and he was making a small whimpering noise. I clicked the lamp on next to him, the bulb pretty dull but enough that if I woke him, he wouldn't assume I was an attacker.

“Sam?” I shake him gently on the shoulder.

His eyes fly open immediately and he grabs me, two fisted hands in my sweater before he gulps. He's looking at me like he can't believe what he's seeing.

“It's you,” his voice cracks, still heavy from sleep.

“Hey, it's okay. I'm just getting you up for breakfast.”

“You're really here!”

“Uh...yeah? It's ten a.m.”

“Why did you go?”

“I went to sleep in my own room,” I frown. “Are you alright, Sam?”

“You left me, baby.”

“Woah, I don't know what's going on here but you've never called me baby before.”

I try to move away but he's still clutching my sweater and he drags me onto the bed until I'm kneeling above him and his hands come to grip my face instead.

“Sam, what are you doing?!” I squirm but he's strong.

“I knew I saw you that night. I knew it was you. You came back to me after you left me and you wanted to try again, I could see it in your eyes but you were gone the next morning. I thought I'd dreamt it but it really was you. Baby, I've missed you so much. I kept searching for you even when they told me I was crazy. I knew you were here. I knew it.”

“Do you think I'm Wanda?” I'm still trying to break away. “I'm not Wanda, Sam. You're still dreaming! Wake up!”

“I was a shitty husband, I know. I put work first and that's why you went. I get it. I'm not that guy any more. We can do this, we can start over, I promise. I love you.”

“SAM!” I yell, hitting his arms when he gets me in a bear hug. “SAM STOP IT!”  
He's not waking up or if he is awake, the delusion is too strong. He truly believes I'm his ex-wife.

When he flips me underneath him, he doesn't even register that I'm struggling. It's like he brushes it off in his own mind.

“I need to feel you. I've missed touching you.”

And those fucking hands I kept thinking I was hallucinating come out of the bed around me, pale and mottled, nails that were little more than greyed claws and they tore at my clothing as Sam kept me pinned. I was screaming, desperately frightened and how could he not hear that he was terrifying me? How could he not see my clothes were shredded to nothing and that I was kicking at any part of him I could? What was Sam even seeing in his own head right now?

“It's the hotel!” I try to headbutt him but miss. “The hotel is making you see things! Sam! Sam let me go!”

The hands have ripped away Sam's clothes too and there's nothing separating our naked bodies any more. It's like they just melt back into the mattress then, their purpose fulfilled and I feel the heat of his skin against mine as he settles, forcing my legs apart.

“Don't do this! Wake up, Sam!” I plead. “I'm not Wanda!”

“I love you so much, baby. I'm so happy you're back. Just relax, I'll make you feel good. You know I always do.”

I can't do anything to stop him and he slides his hard cock into me with some difficulty. I'm not aroused in the slightest and it burns a little before my body starts to get used to it. My fingers are turning numb from the pressure on my wrists and despite me still kicking at his back, he starts thrusting.

“You're so beautiful,” he purrs lovingly. “I'm never letting you go again. I'll give you that baby you always wanted. You'll have to stay then. It's what you wished for.”

“Sam, please,” tears are spilling from the corners of my eyes.

It's somehow worse to know he wouldn't be doing this if the hotel wasn't messing with his mind. The real Sam wouldn't be hurting me, the real Sam would never in a million years do this to me when I didn't want it.

“That's it, let it out,” he dirty talks like he's getting a response back from me.

He changes the angle of his thrust, starting to grind more instead and I'm panicking how good it feels. I don't know what to do. He keeps hitting this spot that's making me struggle less and I'm deathly afraid of what happens if I keep calm, if I just let this happen rather than fighting it.

“I can see it in your eyes that you're building,” he whispers against my ear, biting it gently and I can't help that my pussy clenches in reaction. “Fuck, you're so tight.”

The grinding gets fiercer, friction against my clit overwhelming and I cum without wanting to, feeling ashamed of myself the entire time as I buck underneath him. He picks up the pace, ramming hard then.

I can't even feel my hands at this point, his grip is so punishing.

“Gonna fill you up, baby. Gonna make you mine again,” he growls and I can do nothing to prevent it when he pushes as deep as he can, his cock pulsing as he empties himself into me.

I just close my eyes, not knowing what's going to happen next. I have no idea what to feel when so many emotions are swirling through me.

“What the...what the fuck?!” Sam says suddenly, his hands moving off me and he hurriedly withdraws. “Oh my god, what just...did I...”

I opened them again and Sam was just staring at me in horror. He must have come back to his senses.

“Tell me I didn't,” he begs. “Shit, I did. There was no way I didn't. I...”

I cradle my arms, trying to get the feeling back.

“It was this place. It made you see things,” I say quietly. “You thought I was Wanda.”

“I...no. No that's not what happened,” he gets angry. “I didn't....oh my god.”

He starts crying, backing away and I just silently get up, completely dead pan, grab the robe from the door and tie it around myself. I approach Sam, trying to console him but he pushes me away.

“Just get out,” he wipes his face.

“What?”

“JUST GET OUT!” he roars, shoving me backwards and I turn tail and run.

I run straight out into the corridor and towards the staircase when I see someone standing at the bottom of it. It's a redheaded woman that I've not seen before but she looks incredibly angry. She's shaking with it, in fact.

“Did you just fuck my husband?” she says in a quavering voice.

“No I....Wanda? Is your name Wanda?”

“Wanda Wilson. Steve told me you're sniffing around my husband.”

“It's not like that. It's the hotel, it's making him see things, I-”

She grabs me around the throat, bruising spiking with pain and bodily lifts me up with a strength she should not have at all for her size. I'm kicking, gasping for air until there's a terrible shout and I'm dropped onto the carpet.

In my haze, I vaguely see Mr Stark at the end of the hallway but I'm not sure if it's real. I just know I wake up properly with half the robe twisted around my legs and I'm completely alone.

I do the only thing I can think of and hurry to the bar, hoping Loki will be there. To my relief, she is and when she sees me, I've never known her to be so pale.

“Oh no,” she whispers, eyes wide. “What happened?! No, don't tell me yet. You're coming with me.”

She blows off Steve at the bar who just gives me a strange look before grabbing my arm and helping me to the upper floor which I assume she lives on. She takes me into a room which is entirely decorated in greens and golds, silks and velvets before sitting me on her bed and kneeling in front of me.

“My darling, tell me what happened? It's alright, you're safe here.”

“It's...” I start but I feel like if I say it, it makes it real.

“Did someone hurt you? Another resident?”

“Sam,” I barely whisper.

“Sam?!”

“I went to wake him for breakfast and...I know this sounds crazy but he was hallucinating that I was his ex-wife and he...after he...he just shouted at me to get out. I ran.”

I think something else happened to me after but it's like I'm grasping at water trickling through my fingers. Red hair, that's all I remember before I woke up on the hallway floor.

“I need you to say what he did,” Loki is as gentle as she can be. “If I need to get you anything-”

“-He fucked me. He thought I was his ex-wife and he held me down and he-”

“-Don't say any more. You don't need to,” she interrupts. “All I want to know is do I need to get you Plan B?”

I just nod and she looks so pained. She hesitates, hand in the air like she was going to stroke my hair back but she doesn't want to touch me without permission.

I just fling myself at her, desperate to be held by someone who was clinging onto sanity in this place. She wraps her arms around me and just stays there until I feel brave enough to resurface.

“Do you want to press charges?” she asks seriously.

“No,” I shake my head. “He wasn't himself. It was the hotel. I can't blame him for it.”

“Are you absolutely sure?” she watches me nod. “Then I'll run you a bath. Stay put.”

About five minutes later, she's directing me into the bathroom with the beautiful golden claw foot tub that's filled with bubbles and hot water. She's about to leave to give me privacy but I keep hold of her hand.

“Don't leave me alone,” I plead. “Please.”

“I'll see everything of you if I stay.”

“I don't care.”

“Darling, you're traumatised enough.”

“Then stay with me. I just need one person who cares right now.”

“Very well,” she acquiesces. “Although I shall turn around until you get in.”

She respectfully turns on the spot, staring at the wall as I disrobe and get into the soapy water. It stings a little, parts of me still sore but when I'm settled, I knew it was what I needed. I just wanted to be clean.

“I'm in,” I say to her and she grabs a chair coming to sit at the side of the bath with me.

“I should've been there,” she shakes her head, raven curls bouncing around her face. “I should've kept you safe. I should've known this might happen.”

“No one could've known,” I scrub at my skin before pausing. “I spoke with Sam last night about getting out of here and today this happens. Is something trying to keep me here? Is that why nobody leaves? Are you stuck here, Loki?”

“I'm not stuck, I choose to be here although I won't be staying much longer. I take it you fully believe the Hotel Cortez is haunted now?”

“Too many strange coincidences. I can't ignore them any more. I need to get out. Will you help me?”

“Of course, darling.”

I lean out of the bath and grab her hand, “Come with me.”

“You would want me to?”

“Yes.”

“Then I will come with you. Now, let's wash your hair. My mother was very good at styling and I should hope I have learned a few tricks. If you feel comfortable that is.”

“Please,” I nod.

I've always felt comfortable around Loki and that's not stopped now. I don't care what she sees of me. It's just nice to have human contact that's caring after what happened.

She gets up, coming around behind me, “If it gets too much, tell me. I won't be offended.”

Easing my head into the water to soak it, she grabs shampoo before lathering it up, massaging my scalp and it's helping me not to think about the horrors outside of her room. I feel like I've stuffed the incident with Sam so far down into my psyche now that it feels detached, like it happened to someone else. No doubt it would come back soon enough but for now, I was carrying on as normal.

Again my hair is dipped into the water before she puts conditioner on, fingers working magic on my head and I'm relaxing, I feel calmer. By the end of her routine, I feel a little like my old self again.

“Now I'm going to turn around again and you can towel dry off. I already sent a message to Bruce about picking up some medication for you so he should be up with it at any time. Stay in here until he's gone. I don't want you exposed to another man right about now even if he means well.”

She leaves an emerald towel by me before disappearing into the main bedroom. I get out, drying myself off as I hear a knock at the door and assume Bruce must be here. There's harried whispering before the door closes again and Loki is back in the bathroom with a glass of water and a pill packet.

“Here, my darling. Take this,” she hands them to me and I swallow it, draining the entire glass. “There we go. Now I think my style of nightwear is a little too extravagant for this situation but I do still have an old t-shirt of my brothers, which is frankly enormous, so it will definitely fit comfortably.”

“You have a brother?”

“Yes,” she smiles a little sadly. “Though I've not seen him for many years. You'll get a kick out of his, he's called Thor.”

“Thor and Loki?” you raise an eyebrow.

“Nordic parents,” she rolls her eyes. “Bruce also brought down your case so you can get fresh underwear.”

“You're both very kind to me.”

“You're very kind to us. Not many people accept me so readily as you did, darling. Not many people see Bruce as a human being. I'll get those clothes for you.”

I dress in some shorts, fresh underwear and Thor's t-shirt, which was indeed enormous. It was more like a dress on me, coming down to my knees.

“Take the bed,” Loki offers. “I'll read on my couch. Get some sleep. The bar can go to wrack and ruin today. I'm not leaving you.”

“Loki, your bed is huge. You can read next to me.”

“I don't want to crowd you.”

“Please read next to me. It'll make me feel better,” I admit.

“Then I shall. You get yourself tucked up, I'll dim the lights,” she smiles kindly before selecting a book from a shelf and getting on top of the covers as I went under them. “If you have bad dreams, I'm right here.”

In her presence I felt safe. All of the energy I had expended in fighting off Sam plus Loki washing my hair had gotten me into a state of drowsiness and whilst she held the book with one hand, I reached out and took her other hand, hoping she wouldn't find it forward. I just wanted contact, pleasant contact.

She beams at me, squeezing my hand back before returning to her book and I fell asleep holding her hand, knowing in my heart she was going to do everything she could to get us out.

We would leave the Cortez together.


	6. Loki's Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Loki finally opens up to you

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Heavy angst, gay slurs (no f word), homophobia, transphobia, description of trans journey, smut.
> 
> Loki's journey is based on my ex's experiences with her family.
> 
> (Possible proof reading errors)
> 
> \- NB xx

I woke to the sound of hushed talking and opened my eyes. Loki appeared to be gone and in her place were Tony, Natasha, Steve and Bucky all leaning over me in a little semi-circle.

“Good you're awake,” Tony grins. “We couldn't wait any longer, my dear.”

“You're going to join us very soon,” Natasha bends further down.

“It doesn't hurt...much,” Steve smirks.

“And then you'll be with us forever,” Bucky looks so happy. “Always with us.”

“Stay still. It'll only sting for a moment,” Tony has a scalpel bared, ready to strike.

**

“NO!” I wake up for real this time, flailing and I forget where I am, the gold and green so foreign to me after all the reds of the Cortez's usual decorations.

“It's alright!” Loki is right beside me, holding me to her tightly to calm me down. “I've got you. I've got you.”

She rubs soothing circles on my back, humming gently and I gradually gain control of myself. I feel pathetic for being so vulnerable right now.

“Better?” Loki strokes my cheek tenderly.

“Yes, thank you. Sorry. Bad dream.”

“Tell me.”

“I just....the residents were standing round me and they were going to kill me. Mr Stark was going to kill me with a scalpel.”

“Well I won't be letting him do that,” Loki's voice gets more acidic. “We bide our time today and then we leave tomorrow. Do you care if your possessions are left behind?”

“No. I can always get more clothes.”

“That you can. You stay in here. If you need something, _I'll_ go fetch it,” she says sternly before sighing. “Oh I wish things had happened differently. Mr Wilson losing his mind has destroyed my initial plans to get you out.”

“You were going to....”

“I've seen you collapse in on yourself,” Loki holds my gaze and she looks so concerned. “You're not the sweet and confident girl who first came in here. The hotel has corrupted you. I want to help you escape before it kills you. Bruce and I were going to ask the detective but I wouldn't trust him around you any more.”

“Loki, why can't you and Bruce just walk out with me?”

“It's complicated. All of it is so complicated,” she starts stroking my hair. “As much as Bruce stayed for Steve, I stayed for the Tsarina. You don't understand what my life was like before.”

“Then help me understand. You promised me a story after all.”

Loki laughs before settling next to me on the bed, looking a little shy, “I suppose I did. It's not a pretty story. Are you sure?”

“I'm sure,” I nod. “If you're not comfortable don't force yourself.”

“Darling, I could never be uncomfortable around you,” she smiles warmly. “The beginning then. I'd known since I was around eight that I didn't feel comfortable with male endeavours. My brother is the very definition of jock masculinity and father expected I would be the same. I never liked hunting though or sports, I much preferred being around my mother and learning embroidery or gardening. As you can imagine, my father was incredibly displeased and would try even harder to force me towards traditional pursuits. I was miserable, I hated myself, I hated my life and the only solace I had was my mother who told me it was okay to like the things I did, that it didn't make me a lesser person.”

I just listened. I could try to relate, I could try to offer my own experiences of childhood but none of it would be comparable, none of it was the same pains and so I kept silent, intently absorbing her journey.

“Then my mother died,” Loki takes a shuddering breath. “It still hurts to think about but I lost my best friend and my lifeline. I was at the mercy of a toxic household. I don't blame my brother at all, he was only trying to impress father. Thor was never cruel to me and would always try to include me where he could. Things came to a head when I found my mother's dresses in the attic and tried one on. I just felt like everything made perfect sense in that moment. I was unhappy because I was unhappy with forcing my soul into a little blue framework to appease society. In that moment, I was a woman. I started growing my hair, I lost all the muscle that my father had tried to train me to have and bought myself a corset in secret to see how I would look with a tiny waist....oh I wish I was more careful sometimes.”

“Did they find out?”

“Father did. Thor doesn't know as far as I'm aware. Father found me in mother's old opera gown and I have never seen a man that mad before. I thought he was going to kill me. He kept shouting that I was a vile embarrassment, that the name Odinson was not associated with....with...”

“You don't need to say it,” I grab her hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“No I do,” she looks to me with shining eyes. “That the name Odinson was not associated with 'little nancy boys, flaming poofters and shirtlifting fairies'. God forbid what he would've said if he found out I fancy all genders. Anyway, he gave me an ultimatum. Man up or get out.”

“Oh Loki, I'm so sorry,” I'm squeezing her hand so hard that it must be hurting her but I was taking her second hand pain on.

“That's just the roll of the dice. Had my mother been alive I am sure she would've left my father and we would've found our own place to live. As it was, I was left with a raging homophobe and now I'd discovered the true me, I wasn't going to let him take it away again. I packed up and left two hours later and didn't leave a note for my brother. I sometimes wonder what my father told him. I do miss Thor sometimes.”

She trails off, looking a bit teary-eyed and I found myself bundling her into my chest, just comforting her. She curled her fingers into the t-shirt, steadying herself.

“And so I wandered from motel to motel and I came across this place. I had bought cheap drugstore makeup and I was, frankly, terrible at it at the time so god knows what I must have looked like to others. The Tsarina saw me though as I came in, she was the first person to refer to me as 'her'. You have no idea how much I cried, it was embarrassing. Mascara simply everywhere. She took me in, showed me how to apply make up, how to dress to make myself more feminine, the mannerisms girls learn from a young age that are quite beyond men to learn. She cared for me. She even offered to pay for surgery so I could completely transition if I wanted to but...I didn't want to. As far as I was concerned, I was a woman. Plus the risks....oh the risks of the surgery even in the right hands....I'm fine as I am. I _love_ who I am now. Sure I could get pitch lessons or hormone therapy but of the one thing of my dead life I liked, it was my voice and I'm keeping it. These are my choices.”

She trails off for a moment before starting again.

“I had a minor affair with the Tsarina but not enough to make her consider leaving Steve. That broke me for quite a while. I loved her and I was nothing but an interesting trophy to collect. Still, I was indebted. She had done so much for me, could I really begrudge her? She got all the residents to refer to me as 'she', even archaic Mr Stark. This was my family and so I stayed even when she grew bored of me. I stayed on and worked the bar. I've been here for six years.....god six years. My brother would be about thirty by now. Oh but look at me, I'm being a mess. This is not dignified.”

She sits up suddenly, wiping her face clear and trying to hide it from me but I won't let her.

“Why are you being shy?” I ask.

“Because of all the ridiculous things, for how little time I've known you, I care for you darling and I care what you think of me. I'd rather not let you see me so vulnerable.”

“I think the world of you, Loki.”

I didn't quite mean for it to sound so dramatic but I think it helped her. She finally peeled her fingers away from her face and I was leaning forward, kissing her softly. She tasted like champagne.

“What are you doing?” she's breathing hard.

“Showing you that I care for you.”

“I...I can't,” she says with great effort.

“Did I do something wrong?”

“Oh it's nothing to do with you, my love. Trust me,” she's quick to reassure me. “It's....it's the only way I can keep you alive.”

“That doesn't make any sense,” I frown.

“Because they keep wiping your memory. Your dream, do you remember? The residents have had a game this entire time, to seduce you each in turn and if you fall victim, they're going to kill you. This place is haunted, you already believe that but if you die here, you never leave.”

“I...I don't....” it's like I'm grasping at the fringes of remembrance but not quite being able to grasp anything tangible. “Is that why I've lost so much time?”

“Every time you lose hours, they've been with you. They wipe your memory to give themselves a better chance. They want me to play the game but I refuse, no matter how much I want you, I won't subject you to that fate. As long as I stay away, you'll live long enough for us to get out.”

“So...so they've all....fucked me?” I swallow, starting to feel the prickling sense of fear.

Loki takes a calming breath, “Yes. Those bruises on your neck are from Mr Stark. I wanted to kill him for what he did. I wanted to kill them all but I'm just human. I can't do anything to them and so I've had to endure watching you be defiled and injured and degraded this entire time and I _hate_ it. I've been planning your escape for some time but they must have caught wind and sent Mr Wilson insane to stop me.”

It was hard for me to feel violated from the others when I couldn't remember it but Loki seemed absolutely disgusted at even speaking about it, the anger was popping the veins in her slim neck and I knew she was telling me the truth.

“So you see,” she carries on. “I can't return your affections because I'm afraid, firstly that you won't like the whole of me and secondly that if we go all the way that Tony will make his final move.”

“What happens if you refuse to...uh...seduce me?”

“They kill us both. Maybe Bruce as well now he's on side.”

There's a sharp rapping at the door and Loki flinches before ushering me out of sight as she goes to answer. I hear Bruce's voice.

“They need you at the bar. You can't stay up here all day or they'll get suspicious.”

“Oh come in,” Loki frogmarches Bruce into the room who looks awkward to be standing there whilst I'm in the bed. “She knows. You don't need to dance around the subject. Why are they so insistent when I could be using the time to finish their stupid bet?”

“Because I think they know we don't intend to let them finish.”

“Loki and I are going to run tomorrow,” I interject. “Are you coming with us?”

“Yeah, fuck this place,” Bruce nods fervently. “I want to go back to being a scientist.”

“Good. So what's the plan?”

“We stay tonight,” Loki says fiercely. “My deadline is tomorrow evening. They'll anticipate we might scarper today so let's not fall prey to being predictable. Our main problem is that Natasha and Steve can leave the hotel, they're not ghosts...Wanda I'm not precious about. We must kill them first before we go.”  
“Kill my brother?” Bruce looks surprised before his face becomes more determined. “Gladly. Enough is enough.”

“Now, darling,” Loki addresses me directly. “This is something Bruce and I will do alone. If we fail, you must run and run like you've never run before. If we come back as ghosts, we'll do our best to protect you but you can't come back for us....ever. Do you understand me?”

“But-”

“ _-Do you understand?_ ” she says a little more firmly. “This has all been to protect you. If we can't do that then there is no point.”

“Okay, okay I'll run. But I'm coming out of the room. If I stay here the whole time they're going to think something's up. I need to keep interacting with everyone....even...even Sam. And yes I know but it wasn't his fault.”

“She's right, Loki. We need to keep as normal as possible,” Bruce agrees.

“Oh very well,” Loki puts her hands on her hips. “But you sleep in my room tonight. We'll make it appear as if I'm going to try to seduce you. You may need to be affectionate with me at the bar.”

“Prepare yourself,” I wink, trying to keep the mood up.

“You are incorrigible,” she manages to crack a smile. “Then let's get to it. Bruce and I will leave first to plan our daring ambush.”

I wait in the room for a while before digging through the suitcase and dressing in something a little more flashy. As I'm going down the corridor, Natasha is coming the other way and I smile at her, trying to keep up the ruse.

“I just wanted to say I'm sorry for missing our appointment. I had a fall and I couldn't find you again after,” I try to sound apologetic.

“Oh not to worry, my love,” she's quite warm to me. “There's always time. I've been thinking about details I could tell you for the story. I'm so glad you're wearing the dress I bought you. You look ravishing. Men and women will fall at your feet.”

And the inspiration comes to me. A way to seem like I didn't know a thing about the resident's plans and a way to give Loki one last good thing if everything went sideways.

“I was wondering if you knew today's wifi password? My signal's terrible in here,” I wiggle my phone. “I was trying to do something nice for Loki because she's been really kind to me after...after an incident this morning.”

“Of course. It's ' _SheWantsRevenge_ ' today. What are you planning, little one?”

“Loki's brother. She's not seen him in six years and I wanted to give her some closure. I was going to try to see if I could find him and ask him to visit.”

“Aren't you so sweet?” Natasha looks genuinely touched. “I wish you all the luck in the world.”

She leaves without ever suspecting a thing.

I know it was going to be a dangerous move asking Thor to come with the residents being out for Loki's blood but if Loki was going to die trying to take down Natasha and Steve I wanted to give her this, the opportunity to know whether her brother would've accepted her. If he wasn't going to, I would personally punch him in the face myself.

I found Thor Odinson in mere minutes on social media and discovered his privacy settings were atrocious. From my quick stalk, I knew that their father, Odin, had died recently and then I stumbled across a picture of a pre-transition Loki with her arm around Thor and they both look happy.

The caption was: **I was thirty today and all I could think about was that my brother wasn't here to celebrate with me. I miss him so much. RIP x**

So Odin must've told him Loki had died.

What. A. Cunt.

I sent him a message: **Hi Thor, you don't know me but I wanted to tell you Loki is alive and well. Your father lied to you. Come to the Hotel Cortez. Loki works there.**

I didn't have to wait long for a reply.

Thor: **Are you trolling me? This isn't very funny.**

Me: **I'm not. Loki showed me a t-shirt of yours that has a cartoon storm cloud on zapping a cat with its fur on end.**

Thor: **…...............it'll take me an hour to get there. If this is a trick, don't expect me to be kind.**

Me **: It's not. I'll look for you in the lobby. I'll be in the blue dress.**

I spent that hour sorting myself out before going to the bar where Loki was serving Tony and Bucky. I nodded cordially at them before hanging out on the balcony overlooking the lobby and waiting.

Thor strolled in not long afterwards, long blonde hair tied back, grey hoodie and ripped jeans. He was a lot larger than I was expecting.

I went to Loki and quickly briefed her, “Your brother's here.”

“I...what?!” she blusters. “THOR?! Why is he here?!”

“I invited him. Please don't be mad. I just wanted to give you some closure. He's thought you were dead all this time.”

“But I look an absolute state!” she preens her hair.

“You look beautiful. Hey Mr Stark, Bucky? Would you mind giving her some room?” I ask.

“We'll go over the other side, my dear,” Tony nods graciously and I pat him on the arm, even though he makes my skin crawl.

“That's a real nice thing you did, doll,” Bucky smiles at me and I wish I could remember what he did because I just can't correlate the Bucky from last night who didn't take advantage of me with what Loki had told me.

They both move over to the other side of the mezzanine. I can tell Loki is nervous, she's wringing her hands.

“Should I make a dramatic entrance? Should I...oh I don't know what to do!” she worries.

“I'll tell Thor to come upstairs for a drink and you'll be meeting him. Then come and see him. I need to go before he thinks this is a prank,” I leave her, going to the stairs just as Thor is getting antsy.

“Hi!” I call out to him and he seems to relax when he spots me.

“I didn't know if this was going to be real,” he has that same gentle kind of demeanour that Loki has. “But that shirt....nobody knew I had that. It was something Loki bought me as a joke for my birthday once. Is he really here?”

“Loki will meet you at the bar. Come on, this way,” I lead him back up. “I'll leave you to catch up.”

“If this is real, thank you,” he nods.

I just seat myself at the place where Loki has left me a drink and some snacks. I'm so nervous for her. I want this to be okay. I want her to be accepted.

“Hello, my darling,” Loki comes from behind the bar. “What can I get you?”

“A beer please,” Thor is not looking too intently at her, eyes darting all over the place.

“Coming right up, waiting for someone?”

“My brother. I was...I was....”

He seems to recognise the voice and he looks up, giving Loki his full attention. She looks so anxious.

“It's you,” Thor breathes. “It's you! Loki!”

“Hello brother,” she tucks her hair behind her ear shyly. “It's been a long time.”

“He told me you'd ran away, that you'd killed yourself. I didn't want to believe that was true, that you'd leave without telling me anything.”

“He said that, did he? No, father threw me out when he realised what I was. Told me to never come back or he'd kill me himself.”

“What?!” Thor looks outraged.

“He wanted another son like you. I was shameful to him.”

Thor vaults the bar in one jump and takes Loki's hands, “You're not shameful to me, _sister_.”

I can see tears streaming down Loki's face. In one movement, they're hugging each other tightly.

“I have a sister!” Thor starts laughing before picking her up and twirling her around. “Ha!”

I just slink off, happy to let them catch up. I already have Loki's key for her room so I just let myself back in, taking a book from her shelf and starting to read.

Several hours go by before she comes back and she's glowing. She makes an immediate beeline for me, throwing her arms around me.

“You wonderful creature,” she squeezes me tightly before kissing my forehead. “That was more than I could ever ask for.”

“Did it go well?”

“Yes, very. I found out I'm an aunt. How exciting is that?” she beams. “Thor married an astrophysicist, of all the professions. He's invited me to have dinner. I can't believe it. He didn't even blink. All this time I thought he'd reject me.”

“I'm so happy for you,” I'm smiling widely too. “You deserve happiness.”

“You've already given me so much. I would love to give you something back but I can't.”

“Will they know?” I ask, leaning closer to her, inches away from her lips. “If we....”

“I...I don't know. Everyone else announced their conquest. It's not like they can check in on my room. I had a priest ward it.”

“So if this might be the last time both of us are alive....why not?”

“You are terrible, who is meant to be seducing who here?” she laughs. “I've just never....not with someone who hasn't taken the lead.”

“Do what you want to me, Loki,” I gently kiss her. “I trust you.”

“Are you sure you want me? You've....the others.....”

“I don't even remember the others. I've always liked you, Loki. I just didn't know if you liked me that way.”

“A stunning woman who makes me laugh? Oh no, I wouldn't like that at all,” she says sarcastically. “Then see if you still want me after the gown comes off.”

She stands up, unzipping the back of her emerald green dress and it shimmers off her shoulders to pool around her waist before she pushes it off to her feet. She has a tight black corset on that runs over her hips and silk shorts that cover her modesty.

I stand up, coming around her before starting to untie the laces of the corset, pressing little kisses to her shoulders. Her breath is coming in stuttered gasps as I manage to get her free of it, massaging the skin underneath. I'm mouthing up her neck and she's leaning back into me, moaning softly.

When I hook my fingers into her underwear and pull them down, she tenses, a little apprehensive but she doesn't need to worry. I come around the front of her, looking her up and down.

“Beautiful,” I lean forward and kiss her before sinking to my knees.

“Oh darling, you don't need-” she starts but I've already taken her into my mouth. “Oh...oh my love.”

I work the length of her as her hands cup my head gently. I can feel her hardening even more as I run my tongue over her.

“Come up here,” she helps me stand. “Get on the bed. I'm going to make love to you.”

I take off my clothes, lying on the mattress and she climbs over me. She's kissing me deeply, tongue exploring my mouth before I feel her pressing against my entrance and I'm keening against her.

“Please,” I beg, so desperate for her and she slides into me, hands running up my sides as I arch.

“Oh you are absolutely magnificent,” she purrs, rolling her hips.

This is unlike anything I've ever experienced. It's so loving and so intimate. She treats me so delicately and it's all consuming.

Her fingers skip all over my body, electricity in their wake as she pulls noises from me that I don't ever remember making. She leans up, hand delving in between us and circling the tiny bundle of nerves, watching me twitch and writhe in response.

“I want you to come undone for me. Give me everything, my love,” she whispers.

My hands are fisting in the sheets, eyes locked on her shimmering green ones before the pleasure knots and finally breaks.

“Loki!” I cry as the waves ripple through me.

“That's it,” she says softly. “You feel divine. I should probably withdraw before I lose control.”

“No, keep going,” I plead. “We might be dead tomorrow. It won't matter then.”

“Tell me you're sure.”

“Yes! Please!”

She's grinding against my oversensitive clit and I'm holding her so tightly to me as she pushes deep, filling me up as we lock in a long kiss. We stay like that for a while before I feel something wet drop onto my face.

She's crying.

“Loki? What's wrong?”

“Nothing. I'm not sad, darling. I'm happy. So so happy. I've never had such a wonderful day in all my life,” she smiles. “If I die, I can die with no regrets.”

We curl up in each other's arms, just tenderly kissing now and then, refusing to think about what would happen tomorrow.

For tonight, there was just us and no one else.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Do you think you'll escape the Cortez? Will you all make it out?


	7. Escape from the Hotel Cortez

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Are you ready to check out?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for joining me on this dark journey guys. Hope you like the ending.
> 
> Warnings: Violence, death, gore, angst, trauma
> 
> (Possible proof reading errors)
> 
> \- NB xx

Loki awoke sometime around eight in the morning and for a moment, forgot entirely why there was the warm sensation of pressure around her.

She looked down, seeing you tangled in her, sleeping quite peacefully, your beautiful body bared and on display against her own. Loki thought she'd dreamt it initially, not quite daring to believe that someone as wonderful as you would be with her but she was forced to accept the reality when you began stirring, pressing further into her and leaving a soft kiss on her sternum.

“Morning,” you rasp.

“Good morning, my love,” she smiles. “I think that was the best night's sleep I've ever had in this hotel.”

“Me too,” you laugh. “No horrible dreams this time.”

“I'm afraid today is the day. Are you ready?”

“I'm ready,” you look up with determination in your eyes. “We're getting out of here.”

“First, Bruce and I need to deal with the Tsarina and Steve. Wear something practical, something easy to run in. No high heels, sneakers will be preferable. Leave behind everything that'll weigh you down. Only take what's important,” she warns.

“Before you go,” you stop her from getting up and give her a longing kiss. “Don't you dare die here or I may as well let them have me. There'd be no point going.”

Loki's heart wrenched at your words. How could you care so much for her? No one had ever cared this much for her.

“If I die trying to take them down, I want you to live,” she grasps your face in her hands. “I want you to find someone to grow old with, start a family with. I don't want you locked here for eternity. I would never want that for you. Promise me if they kill me, you'll try your utmost to get out.”

“I promise,” you nod reluctantly.

“Oh how I wish we'd met somewhere else,” she sighs before dressing in the most plain clothing she could, some sweatpants and a t-shirt.

“Me too but if this fucks up, I'm glad I spent my last night with you.”

She could feel the tears welling in her eyes and blinked them away, “Likewise, my darling. Likewise. Anyway....ahem...whilst Bruce and I are dealing with the issue, go do whatever it is you normally do in the morning. Keep up the pretence in case we're being watched. I don't usually know what Bucky and Mr Stark get up to this early but I know the Tsarina and Steve sleep in late. I'll....I'll say goodbye then. Hopefully this won't be the last time you see me in the flesh.”

You get up, throwing your arms around her tightly and Loki clings to you, clings to the only person that's been this kind to her without expecting anything back, without treating her as a novelty. She doesn't want to let you go.

She has to though and she gives you such a passionate kiss that she'd rather just keep you in the bed again but she needs to save you, needs to get you out.

“Good luck,” you whisper.

“All my luck appeared when you did,” she murmurs back before finally breaking away and walking to the door.

She doesn't look back, she doesn't dare look back because she might not have the strength to go otherwise. Instead, she half sprints to Bruce's room, knocking on the door and slipping in.

“Good lord!” she exclaims at seeing all the weaponry laid out on the bed. “Do you have a personal arsenal here?!”

“People leave shit all the time when they check out or die,” Bruce shrugs. “I kept anything that was useful...and the cash too. Don't judge me.”

“I think you've got a serious hoarder problem but it's coming in rather handy about now,” Loki grabs a shotgun, checking to see whether there was anything in the barrel. “Thank god for all the gang members and drug dealers who ended up here.”

“Since when did you get so good at handling guns?” Bruce looks a little impressed.

“My father insisted I learn to hunt. Hated it but I know how to shoot.”

“Well good because I don't so I'll take the shotgun because of the blast radius,” Bruce plucks it from her hands. “Maybe you want the rifles instead?”

“Yes and we each take a pistol if we run out of ammo. I've never killed a vampire before. I'm not entirely sure this will even work.”

“That's why we take these too,” Bruce holds up the machetes. “Cut the heads off once they're down. Confirm the kill.”

“You know, you scare me a great deal sometimes,” Loki raises an eyebrow.

“I've had enough of this fucking place. If we all get out, let's burn it to the fucking ground. Fuck Tony and his murder hotel.”

“I couldn't agree more.”

They tool up, guns stuffed into pockets, machetes duct taped to the back of their t-shirts and ammo tucked into underwear just in case. Luckily the elevators were directly across from Bruce's room so they hurried in, depressing the button for the penthouse and waiting as it trundled upwards.

Loki's heart was racing. This could be it. This could be the day she finally dies right as she found happiness...right as she found love.

“You okay?” Bruce sounds just as nervous.

“No. You?”

“God no.”

Then the doors opened. Natasha and Steve must still be asleep because they're not in the lounge area. Loki and Bruce stalk up the stairs to the bedroom, guns at the ready, completely silent.

Her heartbeat is getting faster, her stomach flipping as she sees them on the bloodied bed, their latest victim in between them. She raises the rifle, aiming at Natasha's head before Bruce accidentally kicks a sex toy with his foot that makes a racket as the metal scrapes over the tiled flooring.

Immediately the two vampires are awake, enraged and Loki starts firing, her aim now off. She wings Natasha in the shoulder just as Bruce blows away part of Steve's arm and now they're both being leapt upon.

“YOU UNGRATEFUL FUCKING BITCH!” Natasha roars, slashing Loki across the cheek with the talon nailed glove she uses to kill her victims. “YOU TRY TO KILL ME WHEN I _MADE_ YOU?”

Loki retrieves the pistol from her sweatpants pocket, too close range to use the rifle and shoots her in the stomach before hitting her in the face. Natasha falls off and Loki is able to scramble to her feet, casting a quick glance at Bruce who's being choked.

“Get off him!” Loki snarls, firing at Steve's neck where the bullet sinks straight in, the force pitching him into the wall.

Then she returns her attention to Natasha who is crawling away, smearing blood on the floor as she tries to escape. Loki just rips the machete off her back and rolls Natasha over.

“Don't do this, my love,” Natasha pleads. “After everything I did for you. I gave you new life, I rebirthed you. This is how you repay me?”

“I told you I thought what you were doing was barbaric. I told you I wanted no part of it. I told you to leave that girl alone and you _defiled_ her. She acted out of fear for her life. I'm setting her free.”

Natasha's face hardens, blood cresting at her lips, “She loved every second that she fucked us. She'll get bored with you just as quickly as I did. You're too gentle, Loki. That girl needs darkness, she needs cruelty, if even she can stir Tony's lust then you'll never keep her.”

“You underestimate my own depravity, Tsarina,” Loki spits, as he hears Bruce hacking Steve's head off. “You underestimate my soul. You think I'm above killing? I'm not. You've dragged me down to your level and this is what you reap from it. Goodbye, Natasha.”

Natasha makes one last attempt to swipe at Loki's throat before the machete falls, burying itself in the soft skin of her neck, jarring at the bone. She looks completely surprised before Loki yanks it back out, bringing it down again and again until the head separates and she's left breathing heavily, covered in blood as Bruce rejoins her.

“Holy shit,” Bruce's machete falls from his fingers. “I can't believe we got away with that. Oh my god, oh my god I'm gonna puke.”

He runs into the bathroom, hacking up in the sink. Loki doesn't feel anything though except a sense of vindication.

“We should shower, clean up,” Loki says. “If we go back down into the hotel like this, they'll know we made a move.”

“You mean I'm gonna have to wear Steve's clothes?”

“Unfortunately. Or would you rather every single ghost in this place comes after us?”

“Good point.”

Loki waits for Bruce to wash himself free of blood, sitting on the bed and formulating the next move. This wasn't the hardest part. The hardest part would be getting you away from spirits who couldn't be harmed.

In particular, Tony Stark. Tony was not going to let you go quietly.

**

I decided to go down to the breakfast hall like I always did in the mornings, to keep a routine.

It only struck me when I was loading pancakes on my plate that I was terribly starved. I didn't remember the last time I'd eaten. I wolfed down half of them before stopping to take a breath.

“And I thought _my_ eating habits were bad,” I hear that familiar voice.

It's Sam.

Even though I know he wasn't in his right mind, that the hotel had warped his reality, everything clenched in me to see him standing there. I tried not to have a panic attack and I think he saw that because he looked on the verge of one himself.

“Can I sit down?” he asks quietly. “I'd understand if you told me to fuck off but...I need...I need to explain myself.”

“Okay,” I nod.

He half falls into the seat, head in his hands before taking a deep breath and launching into it, “I'm so sorry for what I did to you. It was evil.”

“You didn't know any better. The hotel made you think I was Wanda.”

“But even after, even after I...after I did that to you, I just freaked out. I can't believe I threw you out like that. What the fuck was I thinking? I just got so scared that I wanted to distance myself. I couldn't trust myself any more. I can't even trust myself now. I've lost my fucking mind in here and I hurt the person who was helping me. I'm sorry.”

“I understand. I don't blame you, Sam. I never did.”

I thought about telling him the plans to leave the Cortez but I couldn't trust that I wasn't being listened to, that Sam wouldn't turn on me again. I kept quiet.

“You should do. I...I feel so disgusted with myself, deep in my soul,” Sam's voice hitches like he's about to cry and I know if he does, I'll start too.

I switch the subject, “I'm trying to train for tomorrow so I can finally beat you at pancake eating. Since it's the last day before we check out.”

“You know you won't win,” he takes the lifeline.

Before I know it, we're chatting like we used to. It's banal stuff, ordinary things but it gives me that separation from the Sam in his room to the Sam here. I can slowly start to de-associate with the possessed version.

“I'm going to go back to my room but I hope I'll see you tomorrow,” he gets up. “You're an amazing person to be so forgiving.”

“I expect pizza in my room later then,” I crack a tiny smile.

“Oh the biggest. With garlic bread too,” he returns it, walking out of the dining hall.

I sit there for a little while longer, sipping juice before deciding to walk to Loki's room again. Now Sam's left, all the anxiety about whether she's okay is crushing me. If I stay in visible sight of the residents, they're going to know I'm worried just by looking at me.

Unfortunately on the way back up to the lobby, I bump into Tony Stark.

“Fine day, isn't it?” Tony muses. “Say, are you up to anything?”

“No,” I answer as casually as I can. “Did you have something in mind?”

“I have more I can show you for your story,” Tony grins. “There are a few more rooms I've discovered while I'm renovating some areas. Would you care to take a look?”

Shit. If I refuse he's going to think I'm up to something. If I go, I'm far away from Loki and Bruce and I might just be sealing my fate.

“Can I just grab my notepad?” I ask, hoping he'll let me out of his sight.

“You can just use your cellular device, can't you?” he uses the charming smile. “To document it?”

“Sure, okay then. Lead the way.”

I had a very bad feeling about this.

We get up to the room with the secret entrance, going up to Anthony Stark's office once more before he directs me to look at the plans on the table.

“Now I thought this was all there was but look at this one,” he unfurls a new scroll. “I found that last night in the attic space. There's another level above the floor to nowhere. You access it through doing this.”

He goes to a heavy looking painting, pulling it aside before yanking down a lever that was recessed into the wall. Some gears start turning and the wall pops open with a soft thunk.

“Shall we?”

I really didn't want to but I followed, trying to covertly send a text to Loki in my pocket and hoping autocorrect managed to make it legible. I didn't like this at all.

It was one flight of stairs that opened out into a huge area. There seemed to be no rooms on this floor, just one giant space. In this space, on the far side, were three neon cages. One of which contained a redheaded woman I was sure I'd seen before but couldn't place. She appeared to be sleeping.

“What the fuck is going on?” I breathe, looking around to see more torture facilities and my heart rate was spiking more and more.

“It's time you remember, my dear,” Tony touches my shoulder. “Remember everything.”

It hits me like a freight train.

Bucky first. The realisation he was the original Alice in Chains singer. That he balanced me out of the window where he'd been pushed from and fucked me whilst I was trying not to die. That he made me tell him I loved him.

Natasha and Steve, the vampires. Natasha being Tony's wife. Steve being jealous. Me fucking Natasha and Steve fucking me. Steve admitting to killing Bucky in the first place and admitting the plan to keep me here.

And Tony, Tony who was actually _the_ Anthony Stark, the man who'd designed this murder hotel. He made all the traps and the torture devices. His maid, Miss Potts follows him everywhere. He fucked me after cutting my clothes away and I thought he would've killed me that night.

Finally the missing piece and why I recognised the redhead. Sam's ex.

All the horrors came screaming back to me and for a moment I forgot how to breathe. It was unbearable.

“Don't you feel better now?” he purrs. “Tell me, has Loki done her end of the bargain yet? If not, I can always wipe your memory. She has a longer deadline than the rest of us. I just couldn't resist speaking to that magnificent dark creature that revealed itself in my private chambers.”

“Loki? What?” I blink. “No, she hinted at something later. A thank you for her brother and I saw her looking at florists this morning.”

“Oh well, she's always been a dramatic one,” Tony sighs. “No matter. She _is_ getting close to you though? You feel the pull? You want her?”

“Yes I want her. I didn't know if she wanted me.”

“Very much,” Tony circles me, hand brushing over my shoulders as he goes. “As we all do but I think Loki's lust runs deeper. It runs into love. Foolish girl. What would you ever want with her? She couldn't give you that degeneracy you crave.”

“You don't know that!” I get defensive.

“Oh?” his lips curl in a smirk. “Well well well, you _are_ fond of her, aren't you? No matter. Once she has you, you can be with her as much as you like. In fact, I can kill her if you want to keep her young. She can be your little love nest to run back to and the rest of us can satisfy your darker desires. It's perfect.”

“Mr Stark-”

“-Tony, we've already done this dance, sweetheart,” he boxes me against the wall.

“Tony....why are you showing me this? Why Wanda?”

“Because I want you to kill her,” he whispers in my ear. “She's unstable, a loose cannon. I want you to end her life. You want to save dear Samuel, don't you? You don't want him to suffer any more? Snuff her out and Sam can leave.”

“No!” I back away, horrified. “I'm not doing that!”

“I thought we were on the same page, my dear,” he's advancing on me, blocking my way out of the room.

“I'M NOT KILLING HER!” I yell and Wanda's head snaps up.

She gets up, rattling the bars of the cage violently, “TONY! YOU TREACHEROUS ASSHOLE!”

“Cat's out of the bag,” Tony produces a scalpel, like the one I saw in my dream. “You know what, why should I wait? Why should I deprive myself of you when you're right here in front of me? I don't need to wait for Loki.”

“You do that, I'll hide from you. I'll never let you find me. I've seen the plans for the hotel, I know where to run to,” I spit. “There must be so many other ghosts here who choose not to appear. I'll be one of them.”

“Now now, let's not be hasty,” he's still walking towards me and I'm going to run out of room eventually. I can't keep backing away forever. “You do that and I'll make sure I kill Loki off the property and you'll never see her again.”

“And if you do that, you definitely will never find me.”

“A stalemate then,” he stops before smirking. “Very clever indeed. The more I'm around you, the more I am entranced with you.”

“Then let me get out of here, wipe my memory and let Loki do what she's going to do. If I don't succumb to her, you let me go.”

“Of course, of course,” Tony does a little bow. “A gentleman keeps his word. Off you go then. Back up to the office. You won't remember this little interaction. I must say, I'm disappointed you didn't finish Mrs Wilson off but no matter, there's plenty of time to corrupt you.”

I side step him nervously, keeping him in my eyesight always as I go to the stairs.

“You needn't be so suspicious,” he stows the scalpel away. “You've won this round. Go on.”

I still don't trust him and when he rushes at me, pinning me to the wall, I think this is it.

“You've got such a self preservation streak,” he purrs. “But also a destructive one. They constantly war with each other. It's so _fascinating_ to watch.”

“I'm not destructive.”

“Oh but you are. You give yourself to the sad and desperate, the jealous and rageful, the sick and twisted because you flirt with the danger but you think you're one step ahead of the game. You're not. You're not and it's not hard to tell that you've been _lying_ to me and you _fucked_ Loki already. I see the spring in your step, the gleam of blossoming love in your eyes. You think you'll find your happy ending but you won't, my dear because you'd just drag her down with you.”

“I don't know what you're talking about,” I spit. “She's been comforting me since Sam forced himself on me which was _your_ doing.”

There's a particularly loud bang and the cage buckles slightly where Wanda is rabidly trying to get out at the mention of her husband's name. I imagine Tony told her it was my fault Sam fucked me from the way she's reacting.

“Maybe you just want me to kill you. Maybe this is where you want it to end, with me and none of the others,” Tony's eyes gleam and he's got me by the throat, squeezing hard.

I'm not prepared for it, I didn't take a breath and what little air is left is rapidly leaving my system as I fight to get him off but he's far too strong. All I can think of is that I'm letting Loki down. She's going to try and come find me and get herself killed. It's all my fault.

I should've made an excuse to dodge his advances.

There's a blur of red and oxygen rushes back into my lungs as Tony is pulled off me. Wanda has gotten out of the cage.

I take the opportunity to flee, racing down the stairs and into the office again before I go along the corridor to the secret entrance and out into the room again. I don't stop even there, barrelling out into the corridor where Bucky is at the end of it.

“Woah, where's the fire, doll?” he looks concerned.

I don't answer, fully prepared to ram past him but he catches me, holding me in his arms.

“Let me go!” I squirm.

“What's happening?!”

“Tony's gone nuts! He wants to kill me before the bet is completed!”

“It doesn't hurt for long,” Bucky tries to be calming but it's having the opposite effect. “It'll be over quickly. He doesn't want you to suffer.”

“Let me GO!” I hit at any part of him I can.

“You're staying here with us, doll. We'll all take care of you. I promise. I'll be better than the first night. I swear,” he sounds pained.

“Tony won't let you go anywhere _near_ me,” I hiss. “He just said he wants me all for himself.”

It was a lie but I knew Bucky was precious about having my attention and his grip slackened enough that I wriggled free.

“He said that?” he frowns. “He said....”

“He wants me to be his protégée. He wants me all to himself, like a second wife.”

“That fucking bastard,” Bucky growls before looking me over. “Go. A bet's a bet. It's not time. We'll wipe your memory and give Loki an extra day.”

And I start running again. I crash into Loki at the bottom of the stairs who looks haunted and Bruce who's determined.

“It's done,” Loki says quickly.

“Tony knows,” my voice breaks. “He knows. He'll be after us soon. We need to go _now_.”

“Oh hey,” Sam comes from the ballroom area. “You alright? You look shaken.”

There's a roar from the mezzanine and I look up to see Tony and Bucky looking livid. My lie was rumbled, the game was up.

“Go!” Bruce yells.

Without thinking, I just grab Sam's hand, yanking him along with us as we race towards the entrance doors of the Cortez.

“DON'T LET THEM ESCAPE!” Tony's screaming as he's chasing us. “THEY MURDERED MY WIFE!”

All the ghosts of the hotel that usually hide are behind us, some by only a hair's breadth. I turn to see so many rotting faces, missing limbs, missing jaws, missing eyes. All I see is misery, anger and death.

Twice I'm nearly caught as they lunge at us, Sam finally understanding why we were fleeing and putting a burst of speed on. We're nearly out, Bruce making it to the road outside first, Loki after and then me.

I'm stopped, yanked back hard and I almost fall over. When I turn, my hand is still within the Cortez's entrance and Sam's just standing there.

“Come on!” I try to pull him but he won't go. It's like pulling someone into clear glass. “No....no Sam.”

I let go of his hand and walk back.

“Why...why can't I leave?” he puts his hands on the invisible barrier.

“Because I killed you this morning,” Wanda's voice. “You didn't remember. I killed you so you couldn't leave me, so we could be together again.”

“Baby, I...I'm dead?” Sam turns around.

Wanda is there with Tony and Bucky, all the other ghosts flanking them as they stare out at the three of us just outside. They look furious.

“You're dead. You can be with me now. That's what you wanted, isn't it?” Wanda says approaching him. “That's why you came here.”

“I...uh....yeah, yeah it is. We can't have kids though.”

“I have you, that's all I need,” she wraps herself around him.

Sam just looks out of the doorway and smiles sadly, “I'm sorry. I didn't know. I didn't know I was dead. Thank you for trying to help me out. I know you care, even after what I did to you. Go live your life.”

Sam and Wanda slink off into the darkness and now Tony and Bucky come to the fore.

“Rest assured, my dear, I'll find a way to get you back here and when I do, the second you set foot in my hotel I'll kill you,” Tony snarls, prowling like a caged animal at the barrier.

“You broke my heart, doll,” Bucky's crying. “I even started writing that song you asked me to. You're just gonna leave me?”

“You'll never be safe!” Tony pounds at the invisible wall. “NEVER!”

I back up, afraid, wanting to get further away from this place for my own security. Loki looks towards me and her eyes are widening.

“LOOK OUT!” she screams.

I didn't hear the car coming, I only saw Tony's gleeful smile before my world rotated, I was spinning, flying. The pain didn't start until the ground met me, my neck hitting it at an awkward angle where my bones crunched in on one another. My skin was stripped from my face, my arms and legs broken and bruised as I lay in the road, staring at the sun above me as the car peeled off, the driver too chicken shit to stop.

“No no no no no,” Loki's at my side. “Not when I just got you out. No! No this isn't happening! Bruce, get an ambulance!”

“She's not gonna make it, honey,” Bruce is on the other side of me. “Her neck's broken. If they move her, she's got seconds.”

“This is cruel, so so cruel,” Loki's tears are falling on me.

“You've got a choice to make,” Bruce becomes stern, giving me a shattered look. “Do you let her die or do you try to move her to the hotel before she goes?”

“That's not my decision. It's hers.”

“She can't speak.”

“I can't do this, Bruce!”

“Either you let her pass or you try to keep her forever but she's not got long left.”

“Ho....Ho...tel...” I burble, my own voice sounding eerie to me.

“You can never leave if I put you there. You'll be at the mercy of Tony and Bucky. Is that what you want?”

“Ho......tel.”

I can't articulate that it means she can still be with me if she chooses to stay working at the bar but I hope she gets the meaning.

“Help me,” Loki says to Bruce and they carry me, my body clicking and limp into the waiting arms of Tony and Bucky on the other side of the doorway.

“You made the right choice,” Tony says to Loki. “I'll let you in to spend the last moments with her. I swear, I won't do anything.”

Loki takes the lifeline, Bruce still hovering outside as she kneels with me, sobbing uncontrollably. I can feel myself in that space between life and death, not quite firmly in either and I just want it over with. The pain is too much.

“Kill....me.....” I rasp with great effort.

“Step aside, my dear,” Tony says to Loki, getting ready to bend down.

“Lo.....ki.....kill......me....”

“Well? You heard the woman,” Tony stops, gesturing on. “She wants _you_ to do it.”

“I can't!” Loki wails.

“She's suffering, babe,” Bucky looks distressed. “Help her. She needs you.”

“Oh god, forgive me. This is all my fault,” she heaves a shuddering breath before her slim hands come around my neck and start squeezing.

“Love.....you......” I just manage to get out before my eyes roll back and I just let the darkness take me away as Loki breaks down completely.

**

_Two months later_

I wrote that piece on the Hotel Cortez.

It went viral after Tony disclosed the full extent of his murder spree and once it got out into the wider world, the murder tourists started flocking. They were so eager to see the torture rooms.

Anthony Stark became a household name, a legend immortalised.

True to my word, I kept away from Tony. I hid myself in the secret rooms of the hotel and only came out to speak to Bucky or Sam.

On Sam's part, he seemed truly happy to be reunited with his wife. Wanda became more stable, even more domestic and I'd see them having dinner together and holding hands. Death suited him.

Bucky I became friends with. He'd play me songs he'd written, including the one about me which was called ' _On the Window Ledge_ '. I got him a laptop and recording equipment delivered and he put his songs on Youtube. He finally got the cult following he deserved.

We did fuck occasionally, a ghosts with benefits situation but getting love from strangers online seemed to fill the void he'd tried to project on me. He was much less erratic about keeping me near him all the time.

I did come out for Tony once on Devil's Night when he invited his serial killer friends for an evening. I took notes in the corner, cringing at the blasé talk of foul acts of murder before sending a message to any local psychics, mediums and ghost hunters in the area. I compounded the mythos of the Hotel Cortez by adding this new story to it and so many people told me they were keen to come next year to speak to ghosts like Ted Bundy and the Night Stalker.

Eventually I had to quit my job but I started interviewing all the ghosts I could now see and sent the manuscript to a book publisher. They met me in the lobby and a deal was signed.

_Tales from the Hotel Cortez_ went on sale the next month and I was approached about it being turned into a TV series. My bank account was filling up but realistically, all I could spend it on was getting things delivered.

I mainly spent my money on the others, trying to keep them happy, trying to stop them from murdering tourists and changing their mindset to just scaring them instead. From behind the scenes, I became the leader of the ghosts, usurping Tony's rule.

Tony didn't care though. He'd finally achieved the notoriety he'd always wanted.

Loki didn't come to the hotel since I'd died but that was at my insistence. I didn't want to run the risk of her being killed in revenge for Natasha and Steve. She told me Bruce was back working in a lab and was positively chirpy these days.

Bruce would message but not a lot. I think he felt guilty for not being able to do much for me in the end.

“Hello, my love,” Loki's voice as we video chatted. “How was your day?”

“Jacob on the fifth floor was a pain but I got him to not murder the little edgelord kid who came for the scares.”

“Sounds ever so difficult. I don't know how you manage. Sounds like you're mothering hundreds of children,” she laughs.

“Feels like it,” I roll my eyes before lying back in the bedroom I'd claimed for my own. “I miss you.”

“Oh I miss you more than you know,” she smiles sadly.

“Is Thor okay?” I ask, changing the subject before this gets too melancholy.

“He burned the chicken when we had a barbecue so he's still as doltish as ever. Jane threw a fit.”

“I bet she did.”

“Magni is becoming precocious. He keeps asking if he can choose whether he wants to be a girl or boy. I did think my brother might get mad at that but it appears I've influenced him quite positively. They're letting him play with whatever toys he wants to, do whatever activities he wants to. It's very heartwarming. I just wish you could be here to see it with me.”

“Video chat me when you're there sometime then,” I stick out my tongue. “It's a simple solution.”

“You and that smart mouth,” she tsks. “I remember where that tongue's been, my darling. Will you stay with me until I fall asleep?”

“I always do.”

And I watch her settle into bed and drift off before finally clicking off the call.

**

_Four months later_

_  
_I never expected Loki to come back. I'd warned her so many times to stay away, to live her life, to be a sister and an aunt but here she was, at the door to my room.

“What...what are you doing here?” I blink. “What about Tony? If he sees you-”

“-He's already seen me,” she takes my hands. “And he did something for me. A favour.”

“A....what did you do?” I look into her eyes.

“I...I settled my affairs, I explained to Thor what was going on though I'm not sure he quite believes me and I said I'll be back here from now on if he wants to visit.”

“Settled your...” the penny drops. “Loki....Loki, are you _dead_?”

“Tony killed me this morning.”

“Why?! After everything we went through to get out!” I start crying. “Why would you do that?”

“Because I can't bear it,” she tears up too. “I can't bear being away from you. It hurts, it physically hurts to watch you through a screen knowing I couldn't be with you. It was killing me. No matter how much I was with my family, I never felt complete. I lost part of myself the day you died and so I'm here to be whole again. Please, please accept me as you did all those months ago. I love you.”

“You stupid fucking idiot,” I shake my head. “I never wanted this.”

“I did. My choice is made now,” she says firmly.

I just stare at her, utterly shocked that she would go that far just to come back to me. I did the only thing that made sense and I grabbed her, kissing her so harshly that we ended up pressed against the door.

“I love you too,” I pull away.

“Good,” she smiles brightly. “Then let us be whole again.”

And when she's deep inside me, fingers laced through mine as she slowly thrusts, I get what she means. The missing piece clicks back into place and I can finally be at peace, knowing she was here with me.

Forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm really going to miss writing for this Loki. She was precious <3


End file.
